Manila Standard - 2021 October 26 - Tuesday

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PUV drivers get P1b subsidy

Gov’t aims to offset rising cost of fuel for 178,000 drivers until Dec. 31

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Julito G. Rada, Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE government will be granting fuel subsidies worth P1 billion to 178,000 drivers of public utility vehicles to offset the rising prices of fuel and oil products up to the end of the year.

The Department of Transportation, through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), said amounts allocated in the TRAIN Law will be distributed as cash grants to bonafide public utility vehicle drivers for the remaining months of this year.

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Oil firms urged: Give rebates to customers

LAID LOW.

Members of the Anakpawis party-list lie in front of a gasoline station along Road 10 in Manila on Monday to condemn the impending oil price hike, the ninth straight week oil firms have raised pump prices.

Norman Cruz

By Alena Mae S. Flores, Julito Rada, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas THE Department of Energy (DOE) has asked oil industry players to offer discounts and promotions to their customers amid the continuous fuel price hikes since January, Secretary Alfonso Cusi said Monday.

This as the country’s oil firms raised pump prices by as much as P1.15 per liter effective Tuesday to Next page

Duterte ‘congratulates’ Senate for challenging his order in SC

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte yesterday welcomed the decision of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to question before the Supreme Court the legality of his order barring Cabinet officials

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PH now rated low-risk; WHO remains wary

By Willie Casas

KIDS VAXXED. Cities across Metro Manila launch their COVID-19 vaccination drives for children 12 to 17 years old with comorbidities

or the A3 category on Monday. In San Juan, Mayor Francis Zamora joins Cardinal Santos Medical Center officials and DILG Usec. Jonathan Malaya (top photo). In Muntinlupa, Mayor Jaime Fresnedi observes the process at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa (above left). In Manila, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, a doctor by profession, administers the jab to a young man herself, with Rep. Yul Servo watching. Manny Palmero, Norman Cruz and Muntinlupa PIO

THE Philippines is currently at low risk for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, during a press briefing, said all regions in the country are either at moderate-risk or low-risk classification, after the nation posted a two-week decline of 48 percent.

The average daily attack rate (ADAR) decreased to 5.89 per 100,000 from the previous 11.41.

Data from the DOH showed that the Philippines has a bed utilization rate of 41.15 percent, a mechanical ventilator utilization rate of 37.65 percent, and an ICU utilization rate of 53.15 percent.

Six regions, however, had a highrisk ADAR: Cagayan Valley with an ADAR of 18.53, Zamboanga Peninsula (8.02), Cordillera Administrative Region (27.30), MIMAROPA (7.09), Next page

Palace sets to vax 1.5m people a day before Xmas as stocks mount

By Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano, Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta

vowed to ramp up the government’s vaccination efforts to inoculate at least 1.5 million a day before Christmas.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque said WITH the continuous arrival of millions at least 25.7 million Filipinos are now of COVID-19 vaccines, Malacanang fully vaccinated against COVID-19,

while the National Capital Region (NCR) has already vaccinated 75 percent of its target population.

He said the government has already administered a total of 55,715,693 COVID-19 shots as of Oct. 24, includ-

ing about 30 million first jabs.

Roque also said more vaccines have arrived in the country, including three shipments of Pfizer vaccines that were donated by the United States through Next page

from attending hearings into the alleged misuse of multibillion-peso COVID-19 response funds, saying he is ready to defend his memorandum.

“We welcome this move of bringing the legality of the memorandum to the Supreme Court,” the President said in

2,761,307 4,405

57,763

41,942

149

2,661,602

7,561

(As of 4 PM, October 25)

WEATHER Pagasa marks start of ‘amihan’ season

By Rio N. Araja BRACE for colder days due to the onset of the northeast monsoon or “hanging amihan.”

“For the past several days, strong to gale-force northeasterly winds have prevailed over Northern Luzon due to the strengthening of the highpressure system over Siberia and enhanced by passing of low-pressure areas,” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration chief Vicente Next page

Briones: In-person classes set Minors can’t go to dolomite beach after overcrowding in 90 public schools on Nov. 15

By Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja

NINETY public schools have been approved thus far to continue with the pilot run face-to-face classes in the country set to start on November 15, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said Monday.

At the Palace briefing, Briones noted the Department of Health’s opinion was also considered in the selection of the schools, stressing that their objective was to reach 100 schools.

These schools passed the health and education departments’ risk assessment, which included consent from lo-

cal governments, retrofitted facilities, and go signal from parents, she said.

Briones said around 1,900 schools had initially qualified for the pilot run, then the number was narrowed down to 600. The DOH then conducted a review of the COVID-19 risk of these schools, and at least 329 were cleared.

In the 90 schools, she said, 93.2 percent of their personnel were already fully vaccinated.

The DepEd aims to start the pilot for in-person classes on Nov. 15 for pubNext page

MINORS, or those aged 17 and below, are not yet allowed to visit the Manila Bay dolomite beach amid the COVID-19, Malacanang said, as it warned the public against complacency in the midst of pandemic.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque issued the statement following reports Next page

PACKED BEACH. An aerial photo of the

crowd at Manila’s Dolomite Beach shows some of the 65,000 adults and children that descended on the attraction on Sunday.

Revoli Cortez

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News

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

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Palace: Drug war ‘not perfect’ A

S WITH any other program, the government can’t claim to be perfect in its anti-narcotics crackdown, Malacañang said Monday, after the Justice Department released information that indicated foul play in dozens of drug killings at the hands of policemen under the Duterte administration.

Rody attending Asean Summit talks virtually

right to life is concerned,” Roque said.

The Philippines has come under pressure from the United Nations to probe allegations of systematic murders of drug suspects, and the International Criminal Court recently announced it would investigate President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

Duterte last week said he takes “full responsibility” for the campaign, saying: “If there is any person who is going to prison, it would be me.”

More than 6,000 people have been killed by police in the crackdown, but activists say many thousands more

drug users and peddlers were shot dead by mysterious gunmen. Police have denied involvement in those deaths.

Duterte, whose six-year term ends next year, remained defiant, citing a continued scourge of drug dealers in the country.

He said he would only face a Philippine court and a Philippine judge over any alleged crimes.

“I will repeat what I have said before: if you destroy my country and you destroy the young people by feeding them with drugs, you destroy the future,” Duterte said.

The LTFRB said total payout to public jeepney drivers and operators amounted to P1.91 billion as of June 30, while it released P2.29 billion between Sept. 13 and Oct. 23, 2021.

The government program has given free rides to 31.65 million as of October.

The interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee—composed of the heads of the Finance and Budget and Management departments and the National Economic and Development Authority—on Monday expressed full support to the transportation sector.

The committee said the funds would be charged against the FY 2021 unprogrammed appropriations under the support for infrastructure projects and social programs.

The Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection on Monday welcomed the P1 billion worth of fuel subsidies to PUV drivers amid the rising costs of

fuel products.

“That’s what drivers need now,” said Ariel Inton, LSP president.

Senator Christopher Go said strategic sectors like public transport, and food deliveries should be given fuel discounts and subsidies as rising oil prices are a burden to the public (see related story – Editors).

He urged the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Transportation, among other concerned agencies, to study the possibility of offering them all forms of assistance.

“The continuing increase in oil prices in the world market is an added burden to Filipinos who have been suffering from the pandemic,” Go said.

Go also raised the possibility of amending pertinent laws to allow the temporary suspension of fuel excise taxes when world oil prices soar.

Mean of Platts Singapore for three months before the scheduled excise tax increase, reaches or exceeds $80 per barrel.

Cusi said suspending the excise tax can lower pump prices by around P8 to P10 per liter.

However, Tionko said in the memo to Dominguez: “We confirm that the TRAIN Law cannot be invoked to suspend excise taxes on petroleum.”

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Cusi said some of the oil industry players already provided a P1 to P3 discount per liter of their products.

“To help the public, we appealed to oil industry players to give discounts, promotions. That is already being done,” Cusi said.

The DOE wants Congress to amend the Oil Deregulation Law after it earlier proposed suspending the oil excise tax, which accumulated to P6 per liter for diesel and P10 for gasoline under the TRAIN Law, in light of the fuel price hikes.

But the DOF pointed out the government would lose P131.4 billion in revenues that could be used to fund pandemic measures due to the proposed suspension of the tax.

Aside from Petron, Seaoil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Cleanfuel, Caltex, PetroGazz and Flying V also adjusted pump prices while others are expected to follow.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines announced

over the weekend gasoline would increase

by P1.10 to P1.20 per liter while diesel will increase by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter.

Oil prices have gone up by P8.65 per liter for diesel and P7.20 per liter for gasoline for the past eight weeks alone.

On October 19, the oil companies implemented a price increase in domestic oil products of P1.80 per liter for gasoline, P1.40 to P1.50 per liter for diesel and P1.30 per liter for kerosene.

These resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P19.65 per liter for gasoline, P18 per liter for diesel and P15.49 per liter for kerosene.

The DOE has monitored that improving COVID-19 situation, easing of mobility restrictions and re-opening of borders by many countries fueled the prospects of higher oil demand.

It said re-opening of borders and resumption of interstate travel in Thailand and Malaysia, respectively, added to bullish market sentiment.

Lower gasoline exports from China that are likely to persist through the fourth quarter also continues to tighten the Asian gasoline market.

Cusi also said they need similar powers as provided in RA 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, where the President was granted emergency powers to undertake measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 situation.

his Talk to the People aired late Monday evening.

“We would like to congratulate the Senate for realizing, albeit late, that it is the Court which should eventually decide on the constitutionality of the order and we will defend it,” he added.

Two lawyer’s groups – the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Bar Associate – and four former

Health secretaries – Carmencita Reodica, Manuel Dayrit, Enrique Ona Jr. and Esperanza Cabral – have rallied behind medical groups in calling on Duterte to lift the ban and not to “obstruct” Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigations into the alleged overpriced purchase of personal protective equipment through Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

But Duterte insisted it was not a matter of having the best position, but upholding what is legal under existing laws.

“We are not saying that we are the best minds here. It’s an issue of law. Ei-

ther way: You win or you lose, but the beauty of this is that the Supreme Court will be the final arbiter now,” he said.

“This is, by far, the most decent thing the committee has done and we are eager to answer whatever questions you have,” the President added.

Duterte again lamented that his Cabinet officials, who are also on top of the government’s COVID-19 response, have been wasting their time attending the hearings where they are made to wait for hours, and sometimes not called to speak at all.

Earlier, the DepEd said some schools pulled out of the pilot run as their respective local government units and concerned parents refused to participate. lic schools and Nov. 22 for 20 private “The face-to-face classes we are enschools, Briones said. visioning are different from the face-to-

face classes we are used to. These will only be on specified hours and specified places. If there are sudden, unexpected developments, those will stop immediately. That is being done in other countries already,” Briones said.

The Philippines was among 17 countries globally where schools have been closed for the entirety of the pandemic, according to a September report by the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.

the COVAX Facility.

More than 10 million doses target of total COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to the Philippines in October, while more than 10 million procured Pfizer vaccines are expected to arrive, plus 5 million Moderna vaccines, 10 million Sinovac vaccines, and 5.9 million more doses from the US through COVAX. Roque said there would be enough COVID-19 jabs to supply the provinces, improve access to, and hasten the pace of vaccination.

He said the administration was working with local government units and the private sector to use malls as vaccination sites and to offer drivethrough vaccination centers.

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the private sector can loan to the national government unused COVID-19 vaccines that are expiring to avoid waste.

Vergeire said such a policy has already been approved.

“If they have vaccines that are nearing expiration, they can loan them to the government. The vaccines would be replaced when the time comes that they would need it,” she said.

Through the loan policy, the national government was able to collect 356,000 doses of US-made Moderna vaccine from the private sector.

These doses, Vergeire said, have been distributed to Region 4-A (Calabarzon) and Region 3 (Central Luzon).

Vergeire also said the DOH is awaiting the recommendations of an advisory committee before COVID-19 booster shots are offered to the vulnerable population.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 will meet Thursday to discuss the proposal, she added.

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saying children are still not allowed to leave their homes unless for essential purposes.

“First of all, children are only allowed outside for essential activities, so they cannot really move out for leisurely trips and for travel,” he said.

He reminded the public that the country was still under a pandemic, even if the daily cases had started decreasing, COVID-19 was still present, and the people should not be complacent.

“The dolomite beach is for everyone’s enjoyment, but it should not be a reason to have a superspreader event,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday stood firm on its ground not to close the Manila Bay dolomite beach

despite overcrowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview over Super Radyo dzBB, Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said it would be unfair for the public to prohibit the people to see and enjoy the artificial white sand area of Manila Bay. “We cannot just do that (to order the closure). If we have spent that big just to close it, I don’t think it will be fair to the Filipino people,” he said.

“The dolomite beach was opened to relieve the anxiety of the people amid the pandemic, but we will not permit a super spreader. We are recalibrating our system to ensure the safety of our people. We are doing our best to satisfy everybody,” he noted.

“Like any other government program, we cannot claim to be perfect,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said. “But what we are saying is the deeds of a few rotten eggs should not affect the whole program.

Nothing is perfect.”

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sun-

day said the Department of Justice report confirms there were “many lapses” in the drug war, including the lack of evidence that suspects were killed because they resisted arrest.

The DOJ findings, however, prove that the Philippines “is undertaking and performing its obligation insofar as the

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Ilocos Region (7.18), and National Capital Region (8.56).

Intensive care unit (ICU) utilization rates of Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, and the Zamboanga Peninsula are at high risk at 88.57 percent, 71.43 percent, and 71.23 percent, respectively.

Vergeire said the NCR recorded an ADAR of 8.56 per 100,000 population from the previous 18.30.

It is currently at moderate-risk classification.

The World Health Organization welcomed the downtrend in COVID cases on Monday but does not see the coronavirus going away any time soon, noting that no one can say when it will disappear.

In Monday’s Laging Handa briefing, Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, urged local government units to prioritize around three million elderly Filipinos who have yet to be vaccinated (see related story – Editors).

Abeyasinghe said LGUs should zero in on those among the priority groups who have yet to receive a single dose against COVID-19 along with the simultaneous vaccination of the general adult population.

He said the WHO recommended an additional dose to immunocompromised people as they are not capable of sustaining the level of immunity to protect themselves against severe COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday said there is a big possibility that the current Alert Level 3 status of the NCR will be downgraded as the average daily attack rate continues to decrease.

Citing DOH data, Roque said the twoweek attack rate within Metro Manila is currently at 52 percent, while the average daily attack rate has decreased to 9.87 percent, signaling a possible chance of lowering some restrictions.

The NCR’s current Covid-19 bed utilization rate is now at 39 percent and 48 percent of beds dedicated for intensive care are currently occupied, he added.

“So, there is a huge possibility that we will downgrade the alert level status,” Roque said in Filipino during his press briefing.

After recording a significant drop in COVID-19 infections, the IATF has earlier approved the recommendation to place the NCR under Alert Level 3 from Oct. 16 to 31.

The lowering of restrictions will further allow the reopening of more businesses in the region.

Roque said the final decision on the NCR’s alert level will be tackled during the next IATF meeting on Thursday.

The Philippines logged 4,405 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,761,307.

The funds will be disbursed through the Land Bank of the Philippines, straight into cash cards issued to the drivers.

The release of fuel subsidies will coincide with efforts by the Transportation Department to get the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to approve a significant increase in the passenger capacity of public transportation as Metro Manila and other parts of the country are place under more relaxed COVID-19 quarantine levels.

The department said the LTFRB earlier disbursed more than P4.7 billion for the government’s service contracting program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

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This is the ninth weekly consecutive oil price hike due to the tight supply of oil products in the global market.

“Petron will implement the following price increase effective 6 a.m. on Oct 26: P1.15 per liter for gasoline; P0.45 per liter for diesel; and P0.55 per liter for kerosene. These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said in its advisory.

Earlier, the Department of Finance said any suspension of the imposition of excise taxes on petroleum products may lead to a substantial revenue loss to the government of P131.4 billion for 2022.

Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko said this in a memorandum to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, following the earlier proposal of Cusi to suspend the imposition of excise taxes on fuel in response to the weekly increases of petroleum prices by oil firms.

Cusi referred to Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law provisions on the suspension of excise tax increases.

It would be triggered in case the average Dubai crude oil price, based on the

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Weather...

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“Moreover, gradual cooling of the surface air temperature over the northeastern part of Luzon has been observed. These meteorological conditions indicate the onset of the northeast monsoon season in the country,” he added.

With such development, the northeast wind flow is expected to gradually become more dominant over Northern Luzon, bringing cold and dry air.

Surges of cold temperatures may also be expected in the coming months.

With the prevailing La Niña episode, northeast monsoon rainfall may be enhanced that could trigger f loods, f lash f loods and raininduced landslides over susceptible areas, Malano warned.

“Therefore, all concerned government agencies and the public are advised to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential impacts of these events,” he said.

Earlier Monday, PAGASA raised the yellow warning level in Kalayaan Islands in Palawan due to the troughs of a tropical depression.

Flooding is possible in low-lying areas and landslides are possible in mountainous areas, it said.

of crowding and disregard of health protocols at the dolomite beach in Manila Bay last Sunday.

The Department of Health said there was overcrowding in Manila Bay’s dolomite beach over the weekend and was in violation of rules set by the InterAgency Task Force against COVID-19.

The Manila Police District reported that approximately 65,000 people visited the beach on Sunday.

The Palace official appealed to the public to not bring their kids to Manila’s manmade dolomite beach on Roxas Boulevard,

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will attend virtually the 38th and 39th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and related summits from Oct. 26 to 28 at Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Malacanang said.

“Our President will take part in the Summit via Zoom or computer hookup,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual press conference.

“So as usual, these are regular meetings of the ASEAN Summit, the first will be the ASEAN Summit followed by the ASEAN-Korea, ASEAN-China, ASEAN-US, ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-Australia, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit, ASEANIndia, ASEAN-Russia and then the closing ceremony,” he said.

Roque said the Summit, the 38th and 39th Asean Summits and Related Summits, with a theme: “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper,” will be hosted

by Brunei Darussalam through virtual video conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the topics to be discussed during the meetings include strengthening the resilience of the Asean Community towards regional recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; enhancing the preparedness of Asean in addressing common challenges; seizing new opportunities in pursuit of shared prosperity; and maintaining cooperation towards achieving the region’s long-term goals.

Asean leaders and their dialogue partners such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of India, United States, Australia, and the Russian Federation will also join the summit.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rody gives PCA symbolic copy of Coco Trust Fund

As Duterte term nears end, PNP wants ‘strong finish’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

By Willie Casas THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday vowed to have a “strong finish” against illegal drugs as the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term draws near.

The PNP also said it will continue to protect the Indigenous People (IP) from the criminal activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPPNPA-NDF), including the illegal cultivation of marijuana in their communities.

At the weekly virtual press conference of the National Task Force to End Local Communists Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC), PNP Directorate for Operation Chief Major General Rhodel Sermonia said that PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has directed the PNP to give “special attention” to IPs plight as they are very vulnerable to the scourge of the Communist Terrorists Groups (CTG).

“CPP-NPA has no principles, unlike years or decades ago. They are more into criminal activities now just to make money),” Sermonia said, adding that Eleazar’s order also had a strict instructions to have an IP Desk in regions and municipal police headquarters or stations, for all IPs that need police assistance and protection.

Sermonia specifically gave importance to the plight of many IPs as the the country observed the commemoration of the National Indigenous People’s Month and the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act for the IPRA Law. “Giving protection to our indigenous folks is very relevant to our mandate in the PNP to fight illegal drugs and even more relevant today as we talk about Indigenous People’s rights,” Sermonia stressed.

He added that the PNP “understand that in clearing indigenous communities of this illegal drugs menace, we have to incorporate in our response the help of other agencies that have a special understanding of their culture and their social and economic activities that will be affected if we are to push for the clearing of their communities of illegal drugs.”

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NOISE BARRAGE. Health workers of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine hold a lunch break noise barrage on Monday at RITM Hospital Ground, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa to denounce the P170-million budget cut on Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of their National Referral Laboratory for the year 2022. Danny Pata

PCC: Competition review needed for Malampaya T

By Othel V. Campos

HE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) was of the impression that important deals such as the Udenna Group’s $4.1 billion acquisition of UC Malampaya Philippines Pte. should be subjected to a competition review.

While the deal fell short of the allowable threshold base of P50 billion, the commission said transactions this big will have an impact on the industry as far as competition matters are concerned, and to consumers, as well.

Competition Commission chairperson Arsenio Balisacan reiterated on Monday the importance of merger reviews to safeguard the market from possible anti-competitive deals.

However, the commission defers to sector regulators the other aspects of accrediting or approving the transaction for standards outside of competition.

Udenna’s transaction to take over controlling stake in Malampaya from Shell this year, was not notified to PCC due to the increase in notification threshold to P50 billion under the Bayanihan 2.

In reviewing mergers and acquisitions, the PCC only looks at the competition aspect of transactions. PCC defers the other aspects of a firm’s viability for operations to the sector regulators.

In the first transaction by Udenna acquiring minority company interest from Chevron Malampaya in 2020, PCC found no competition issue then because Udenna was not engaged in the

natural gas business.

Udenna now has the controlling power over the Chevron Malampaya LLC unit after it acquired 45 percent share of the offshore gas business.

Earlier, Senator Win Gatchalian said there’s enough evidence that the decision rendered by the Department of Energy (DOE) to approve the sale of Chevron Malampaya’s 45-percent stake in the Malampaya gas project to the Udenna group of Dennis Uy is defective and invalid.

“My opinion of this is that it is a defective approval, therefore the approval is invalid because there’s a lot of inconsistencies and any major transaction like this should not lead to confusion. Instead of us appreciating it, we got more confused by the DOE’s own admission that there is indeed confusion,” Gatchalian said in scrutinizing Udenna’s buy-out of Chevron in Malampaya during the hearing of the proposed 2022 budget of the DOE.

P362-m worth of smuggled vegetables destroyed in Pampanga

By Jess Malabanan PORAC, Pampanga—Some P362 million worth of smuggled vegetables and other agricultural products believed sneaked into the country by unscrupulous Chinese businessmen were destroyed by government authorities led by the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

The smuggled vegetables were brought at the Greenleaf 88 Hazardous Waste Disposal Center in time for the National Food Safety Awareness Week celebration.

Port of Subic District Collector Maritess T. Martin said 18 of the 60 forty-footer container vans carrying assorted vegetables mostly onions, carrots, and broccoli were brought to Greenleaf for condemnation while the remaining container vans were under the custody of the BoC Port of Subic.

“We are just waiting for the court order before we destroy the smuggled content of 42 other containers now being held at Port of Subic,” said Martin on the sideline of the ceremonial condemnation of the seized items.

The Greenleaf 88 Hazardous and Non-hazardous Waste Disposal Facility situated in Barangay Mitla here is accredited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) due to its sophisticated machinery and equipment, said Robert Gaza, administrator of Greenleaf 88.

Other government agencies that joined the event are the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Intelligence Co-

ordinating Agency (NICA) and the local government unit (LGU) of this town.

A large volume of smuggled vegetables was found to be in an advance state of decomposition when opened by the BoC Port of Subic and Greenleaf personnel.

“These smuggled agricultural products can easily be decomposed due to prolong exposure of container vans to heat while under the custody of BoC Port of Subic,” said Gaza who supervised the opening of 18 cargo trucks.

Department of Agriculture officer in charge Zambales Provincial Director Enrique Tacbad said imported vegetables flooded the local and national markets greatly affect traders and farmers especially in the Mt. Province, one of the biggest sources of vegetables in the country.

Tacbad said consumers do not even know the quality of imported vegetables. “Are these imported vegetables safe for consumption?”

Martin said the smuggled goods entered the Port of Subic and were declared as frozen bread, jams, and yellow onions consigned to Zhenpin Consumer Goods Trading; Duar Te MiraNon-Specialized Wholesale; Gingarnion Agri Trading and Thousand Sunny Enterprise.

“The Port of Subic immediately seized and issued forfeiture process against the cargoes for alleged violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the DA Circular number 04 series of 2016,” Martin explained.

She said the seized smuggled goods was the largest forfeiture made by the Port of Subic in terms of Agricultural Products.

SMUGGLED ONIONS. Bureau of Customs and other government officials present to newsmen portions of smuggled onions before the ceremonial condemnation at the Greenleaf 88 Waste Disposal Facility on Monday at Barangay Mitla, Porac, Pampanga. Jess Malabanan

SKAL tourism awards slated for November

TOURISM AWARDS. SKAL International Makati recognizes individuals in the travel and tourism industry who have stood out during these unprecedented times. This year, the SKAL awards are given to leaders who continue to thrive amid the pandemic.

THE recipients of the 30th SKAL Tourism Personality Awardees will be presented on Nov. 18, 2021, at the ballroom of the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City.

The awards presentation coincides with SKAL International Makati’s 40th founding anniversary.

SKAL International Makati recognizes individuals in the travel and tourism industry who have stood out during these unprecedented times.

“This year, the SKAL awards are given to leaders who continue to thrive amid the pandemic. They are business leaders who have shown great commitment to the tourism industry and offered genuine support to ease the stress caused by the pandemic,” said SKAL International Makati President Jimmy Bautista.

Selected to receive the prestigious award are Michael Jaey Albaña, commercial director of Conrad Hotel Manila, for 5-Star Hotel Category; former Tourism Secretary Dr. Mina Gabor, now president of International School of Sustainable Tourism Philippines (ISST), for Farm Tourism Category; Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, COO Tourism

Promotions Board (TPB), for Government Services Category; Sarah J. Monzon Po, director for operations of Hotel FleurisPalawan, president of TEAM Philippines-MIMAROPA Chapter, owner and general manager of Aji Travel and Tour Corporation, for Travel Agent Category; Angel Ramos Bognot, president of Afro Asian World of Events and NITAS, for M.I.C.E Category.

Other awardees are Department of Tourism Region 7 Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano for Region Director Category; Farid Schoucair, Heritage Hotel Manila General Manager for 4-Star Hotel Category; Mikel Arrieta, General Manager of Anya Resorts Tagaytay for Hotel and Resort Category; and Cheche Moral, Inquirer Lifestyle Editor for Print Media Category.

This famed annual event is organized in partnership with Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Ralph’s Wines and Spirits.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte handed a copy of the Certificate of Republic Actc11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act to Benjamin Madrigal Jr ., administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

In a ceremony, Senator Cynthia A. Villar handed the certificate to the President who then assed it to the PCA. Duterte was in Lucena City for the joint National Task Force-Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict IV-A (NTF-ELAC) meeting.

Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said she is thankful to the President for the passage of the law that would be a big push to reach our goal of uplifting the lives of 3.5 million Filipino coconut farmers from 68 coconut-producing provinces.

“The coconut trust fund belongs to our coconut farmers and their families. With the provision of scholarships for our coconut farmers and their children, an annual allocation of 8 percent and 10 percent for health and medical programs on top of Philhealth coverage, I am confident this will improve the quality of lives of our coconut farmers,” said Villar.

Continuous education and improving one’s knowledge of new technology on production and post-production of coconut, Villar said, is also supported under the law, with an allocation of 8 percent of the the budget that would be implemented by government agencies for training.

With the Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act, Villar also hopes to resolve the many issues blocking the full growth of the coconut industry.

PNP investigates Maguindanao blast near Army post

By Priam Nepomuceno THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on

Monday ordered the Police Regional Office in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to conduct a thorough investigation into the grenade blast near a Philippine Army detachment in Maguindanao over the weekend.

“Our police investigators should not leave any stone unturned in determining the motive and identifying the perpetrator of the grenade blast. Lahat ng anggulo ay ating titingnan sa insidenteng ito (all possible angles will be looked into),” said PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, in a statement.

The blast happened just as a convoy consisting of close to 30 vehicles of Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu and his group passed by\ the military detachment in Guindulungan town on Saturday.

Initial information stated that a hand grenade was thrown toward the direction of the Army detachment, which then exploded.

“Pero agad makikipag-ugnayan ang ating mga imbestigador sa kongresista pati na rin sa mga sundalong nakatalaga sa Army detachment para kumuha pa ng ibang detalye (But our investigators have immediately contacted with the congressmen and our soldiers to get other details),” the PNP chief added.

Mangudadatu is running for Maguindanao governor in next year’s elections.

Maynilad intros paperless billing

By Rio N. Araja THE west zone of the Maynilad Water Services Inc. is launching a program that will give customers the option to receive an electronic statement of account (e-SOA), instead of a printed copy of their monthly water bills.

The paperless billing program would eliminate the need to touch a printed copy of statement of account or face a meter reader to receive the bill, thus lessening physical contact that may lead to COVID-19 transmission.

The firm said customers could also contribute to helping save the environment through reduced paper consumption.

“With all transactions shifting to digital because of the pandemic, Maynilad endeavored to give our customers the option to just receive their monthly water bills via electronic means. The Paperless Billing Program is part of our efforts to enhance customer experience through easier and more convenient access to our services,” Christopher Lichauco, head of Maynilad Customer Experience and Retail Operations said.

‘Inclusive 2022 budget needed for PH recovery’

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By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE COVID pandemic and its continuing effects underscore the need to have a national budget that is participatory, consultative, development-oriented and inclusive, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Monday.

Lacson, addressing the “Budget Serye 2021” of Social Watch Philippines, said the budget is the most important tool to address social, economic and political problems, which are magnified by the pandemic.

“The national budget is the government’s most important tool in achieving its goals, especially in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis when all our social, economic and political problems have magnified into massive scale,” he said.

“More than ever, we must demand for a national budget that is participatory, consultative, development-oriented, and inclusive – one that equalizes opportunities for all and serves the will of our people,” he added.

Lacson reiterated his shared commitment with SWP and its Alternative Budget Initiative to promote citizens’ active participation in crafting the national budget.

Lacson has earned a reputation as the watchdog of the national budget, flagging and pushing for the removal of dubious and useless appropriations, including pork barrel, from the yearly budget bill.

In August, he resigned as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and as Chairman of the panel’s Subcommittee C so he can focus on scrutinizing the P5.024-trillion budget for 2022, as well as to address the advent of red flags raised by the Commission on Audit in its audit reports of several agencies.

Lacson has pushed for budget reform by crafting bills such as the Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE), which ensures resources for local development projects by downloading funds to the local government units.

Meanwhile, Lacson said there should be “less government intervention” in the mass immunization program against COVID-19 for the country’s economic recovery.

He noted that while the private sector has volunteered and local government units have offered to buy their own vaccines, it appeared that the national government was putting in place unnecessary restrictions.

Muntinlupa mayor backs Leni-Kiko tandem for 2022 MUNTINLUPA Mayor Jaime Fresnedi on Monday declared his support for Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, in the May 2022 national elections.

“I’m supporting VP Leni for President and Senator Kiko for Vice President, believing that the two of them are worthy to be the leaders of the 110 million Filipinos,” Fresnedi said in a statement.

“They have the sincerity and the competence to serve and lead. We have seen their love of country and love for the Filipinos. What they offer, they do so without reservations. They are offering their services, their lives, their time to serve the people of the Philippines for the next six years,” he added.

For Fresnedi, who is seeking a congressional seat in next year’s elections, what the country needs today is the RobredoPangilinan campaign to bring back good governance that prioritizes the people’s welfare especially during the pandemic.

He said Robredo and Pangilinan both have track records that show servant leadership.

“They have both rolled up their sleeves and have been working on the ground to improve the lives of the marginalized Filipinos, especially those burdened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Fresnedi noted that Robredo did not allow the limited budget and resources of the Office of the Vice President to be a hindrance for her to develop and execute pandemic response initiatives.

“Instead of directly coursing donations to the government, some have opted to course it through the OVP because they saw that what Vice President Robredo was doing was correct,” he said.

Jeepney groups welcome Marcos’ transport agenda

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 E-mail: mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

IN LOVING MEMORY. Despite the heavy downpour, people visit their dearly departed loved ones at the Manila South

Cemetery after the local government of Manila announced that all public and private cemeteries will be closed from October 29 to November 3 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Lino Santos

Palace: Ship has sailed for Sara’s prexy push

By Vito Barcelo

F

OR Malacañang, there is no more speculation as to whether Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio would still change her mind in rejecting offers to run for president in next year’s national elections.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement a day after the mayor met with two presidential candidates – former senator Ferdinand

“Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Cebu and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in Davao City – fanning speculations that she may opt to be a substitute candidate for the presidency or run in tandem with either candidate.

“I talked with Governor Gwen Garcia to find out what was discussed in Cebu.

Governor Gwen told me that Mayor Sara said of her possibility of running for president: ‘That ship has sailed,’” Roque said.

“Meaning, she is really running for reelection as mayor,” he added.

Duterte-Carpio herself said discussions with Marcos over the weekend focused on how her regional party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), can help in the latter’s presidential campaign.

On Monday, Dela Rosa flew to Davao City to seek an audience with the presidential daughter, who has been the frontrunner in several presidential surveys despite repeatedly announcing she is not seeking a national post next year.

Dela Rosa, standard-bearer of a PDP-Laban faction backed by DuterteCarpio’s father, shared on Facebook a photo of him and the mayor at the Davao City Hall.

“I just reminded her that Nov. 15 is fast approaching,” the senator said.

Dela Rosa has said it would be “better” if Duterte-Carpio ran for president in his place.

Substitutes in next year’s polls have until Nov. 15 to file their candidacies.

LEAD-SAFE PAINTS.

Ecowaste Coalition unveils a mural that was created using lead-safe paints at the San Antonio Elementary School in Quezon City. The event coincided with the United Nations-backed International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

Manny Palmero

Isko’s party: From ‘pedicab’ group to ‘pure giant killers’ THE Aksyon Demokratiko on Monday announced that it has already issued more than 4,000 Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance to its party members who are running for various elective posts from national down to the local elective positions in 2022 elections.

Ernest Ramel, chairman of the Aksyon Demokratiko, said the issuance of more than 4,000 CONAs only shows that party membership has registered a geometric increase.

Akson, Ramel said, is no longer a “pedicab” political party, but has become an MRT-like group with additional train cars.

“Since the double defeat of its founder and standard bearer Raul Roco in the 1998 and 2004 presidential elections, the party has been likened to a pedicab that can seat only two to three passengers,” he said.

“But 18 years later, Aksyon Demokratiko now boasts of more than 4,000 members and now has a winnable presidential bet

in the person of 47-year-old Manila Mayor Fransciso ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso,” he added.

While Aksyon Demokratiko may still be a “pedicab” compared to bigger and older political groups, Domagoso said its members have nothing to worry about.

“Don’t worry, my specialty is driving sidecars. I won’t let you down,” said Domagoso, a former sidecar driver in Tondo, Manila, in jest. Rey E. Requejo

Gatchalian seeks end to substitution

CHINA-MADE JABS. National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (right) and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian talk as 3 million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine are unloaded from a Philippine Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Sunday night. Avito Dalan

TO level the election playing field, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday filed a bill to halt the option of substituting for an electoral aspirant who voluntarily withdraws candidacy in forthcoming elections.

Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri and Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Joel Villanueva are co-authors of the bill.

While Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code allows substitution to replace an official candidate of a registered or accredited political party who dies, disqualified for any cause or withdraws from the electoral race, Gatchalian said this has been abused over the years.

He said the practice has become a mockery of the process of filing of certificates of candidacies.

In seeking to amend the Omnibus Election Code, Gatchalian proposed the re-

placement of a candidate only if the original aspirant becomes incapacitated.

“The ballot is sacred. So, it is necessary to protect the filing of candidacy during elections,” he said.

“The intention of the law is clear. This is to have an orderly and transparent election.

Others have just abused it. Once you filed, that’s it, no substitution. You will only be replaced if you die or if you are disqualified,” Gatchalian added.

He likewise pointed out that before the official filing of COCs, political parties often observe a vetting process – assessing and ascertaining the qualifications of their members, which include the willingness, sincerity and commitment to be the party representative for the contended elective position before they are nominated to be the standard bearers for local and national positions. Macon Ramos-Araneta

AS DIFFERENT transportation groups expressed their alliance and support to presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., heads of the jeepney sector said they are confident that their lives will improve under his leadership.

“What we liked about Bongbong Marcos is that his heart is in the right place and he does not resort to mudslinging. He has vowed to ensure that transport groups have their own funds under the Public Transport Consumers Tax Bill. This is a big boost as funds for our continued modernization will come from this measure,” said Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators ng Pilipinas (LTOP) National President Orlando Marquez said.

“Senator Marcos wants jeepney drivers, as frontliners, too, who serve the public, to have decent housing and living conditions,” he added.

Marquez said the jeepney sector is one of the biggest taxpayers in the country and being prioritized for modernization funds will greatly help them, especially after they were badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his meeting with the transport sector groups, Marcos assured them of continuous modernization of jeepneys without compromising their classic design which is part of Philippine heritage.

He also vowed to push for the inclusion of transportation groups in public consultations to prevent them from suffering from unfair ordinances and penalties issued by the national and local government.

Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang Masda) National President Roberto Martin said Marcos is the only candidate who showed better programs for the transportation sector.

Heads and other officials of major transportation groups including LTOP, Pasang Masda, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP); Philippine Confederation of Drivers and Operators – Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (PCDO-ACTO); Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP); Federation of Ayala Center Transport Terminals Inc.; and Tiger in Asia agreed that Marcos will be their sector’s “best bet” in the 2022 national elections.

Ka Leody: Raise DOH budget for booster shots LEODY De Guzman, presidential candidate of Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) and Laban ng Masa coalition, expressed his full support to healthcare workers who have called for booster shots against COVID-19 over the weekend.

“The demand of our health workers is just and true. What they need are more effective booster shots and added benefits to protect the people’s first line of defense against COVID-19,” he said in a statement.

Medical frontliners, De Guzman said, are worried about their waning protection against the coronavirus since they were among the first to be inoculated since the government rolled out its vaccine drive in March.

The funds for the booster shots of medical frontliners by the health department was slashed from P104 billion to P45 billion under the 2022 national budget that is currently being deliberated in the Senate.

“Because of the patent mismanagement of state funds by the Duterte administration, the lives and livelihood of our medical frontliners are in peril,” De Guzman said.

The Private Hospital Workers Association of the Philippines (PHWAP) earlier sounded the alarm on the exodus of nurses and other medical frontliners.

According to PHWAP, many healthcare workers are yet to receive the benefits under Bayanihan 2, such as Special Risk Allowance (SRA), Active Hazard Duty Pay (AHDP), MAT allowance, and life insurance.

“The P19.68 billion that the Lower House approved for the DOH COVID-19 response is insufficient because it is estimated that there are at least 526,000 healthcare workers in the country, all deserving decent wages and benefits,” added the veteran labor leader.

The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), of which De Guzman is national chairperson, said the total value of benefits amount to P16,500 per medical frontliner.

Therefore, a budget of P103 billion must be allocated for the benefits of more than half a million healthcare workers in the country, in both public and private health institutions, BMP said.

Opinion pronouncement after she and BBM spoke for several hours at a private residence in Cebu City on Saturday during the birthday celebration of Yedda Romualdez, wife of House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, BBM’s cousin.

The Davao City mayor also met with prominent Cebu province leaders including Gov. Gwen Garcia and Liloan mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco.

There were no indications that Inday Sara might run as BBM’s vice president, either, as she is adamant to complete her term as the Davao City mayor and lead her constituents to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

“Don’t forget to campaign for your friend from Davao for mayor,” she was quoted as telling Cebu mayors.

In stark contrast to Ms. Leni Robredo’s failure to “unify the opposition” against the administration, it’s remarkable how Inday Sara’s charisma draws wide support everywhere she goes.

Already the frontrunner in the presidential race, BBM simply stands to gain tremendously from Inday Sara’s backing.

It is important to note that BBM has vowed to pursue the Duterte administration’s major programs, particularly the government vaccination rollout, and spur development of treatment drugs for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases.

BBM, who promised to be a truly “unifying leader,” said he is open to working with vice-presidential candidate Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. Sen. Bong Go sees himself as “working VP” and shares BBM’s vision of sustainable and inclusive development, as well as national recovery.

Also in Cebu City, BBM said he shuns old politics and would rather focus on unifying the Filipino people during the current crisis and work together for economic recovery.

He noted that the other countries are now slowly opening their economies and recovering from the ill effects of the pandemic.

BBM said Cebu plays a very important role in the country’s economy and promised to continue to develop the island province as an economic hub.

She did not go trick-ortreating.

But why would she join a political parpar ty which she aptly described as in utter disarray and lacking able leadership, in the first place?

Like what she said, the jilted PDP-Laban has been reduced to a “situational comedy” with Sen. Manny Pacquiao ending up running under a different banner and Bato filling in as placeholder presidential bet. Bato should drop the blooper and withdraw his candidacy.

Instead of showing interest in vying for president, Inday Sara made the categorical statement that her regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) will support presidential candidate former-senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (BBM).

In a meeting with BBM in Cebu, Inday Sara disclosed they discussed possible ways the HNP can help in BBM’s campaign, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

What can be a better place to publicly manifest her support for BBM than in the Queen City of the South in the vote-rich Cebu province?

Inday Sara made the anti-climactic

Why Ilocanos are for Bongbong IN MY last column, I said that among the five presidential candidates, former Senator Bongbong Marcos could well be the “runaway” candidate, based on poll surveys.

With seven more months to go until May 9, there are advantages and disadvantages in leading a presidential election this early.

Anybody leading a presidential race this early could well be asked: Can he maintain the lead until election day? On the part of the other four candidates, they have a chance of overcoming Bongbong’s lead by working harder. But, can they, especially when Bongbong gets Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as a vice presidential running mate?

Can he maintain his lead until election day?

While Sara has been saying that she would no longer run next year, Santa Banana, she still has until November 15 to change her mind. I have always believed that politics is the art of the possible.

Personally, I doubt if the other presidential candidates can overcome Bongbong’s lead.

First of all, the constituency of Bongbong is basically the Ilocanos, which is primarily Region I, Region II and the Cordillera Administrative Region, and parts of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Zambales and Tarlac. My gulay, in any language, that’s hard to beat.

There are also Ilocanos in Metro Manila.

This makes Bongbong closely tied with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso. BBM is almost as popular as “Yorme.” And do not discount the fact that Eastern Visayas of the Romualdezes is another bailiwick of Marcos. In Mindanao, there are enclaves of Ilocanos. Would you believe that as far as Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and Davao, there are Ilocanos?

What I am saying is that the constituency of Bongbong is solid, unmatched by the other candidates. Isko Moreno Domagoso, Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Manny Pacquiao may also be popular, but they don’t have the constituency of Bongbong Marcos. As for Vice President Leni Robredo, who claims to be the opposition candidate, what are her constituencies? The Yellows?

The Left, mostly from the Makabayan Party-list Group, who are actually the fronts of

the communist insurgents. In fact, I would even say the support given by the Left for Robredo has a big negative effect on her bid.

Bongbong can maintain his Ilocano and partly Visayan constituencies. There’s no way for him to lose his lead. In other words, Bongbong’s win is assured.

Aside from the fact that all poll surveys have dubbed him as the “runaway” presidential bet is the fact that poll surveys have what we call “bandwagon effect,” on voters undecided. It’s not unusual that undecided voters like to be identified with the winners, never with the loser.

I am basing my opinion on Bongbong based on the fact that he was the clear winner in the 2016 vice presidential race were it not for the fact that Smartmatic and the Yellows cheated him. I cannot forget that night in 2016 when the first votes were counted Bongbong was winning and then after I went to sleep, Santa Banana, Bongbong had lost his lead, according to Smartmatic. Recall that the lead of Robredo was a little over 200,000 votes. And recall that when Bongbong protested before the Supreme Court Electoral Tribunal and demanded a recount, the ponente of the case, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, a clear ally of the Yellows, made Robredo the winner. Bongbong never had a chance before the Supreme Court.

Martial Law? This is a discounted issue having been thrown at the Marcoses since almost half a century ago. Year in and year out, the Left and Marcos haters repeat this issue every year so much so that it no longer rings true. Yes, there was Martial Law which broke the backbone of the communist insurgency movement. Were it not for Martial Law, Santa Banana, the Philippines would now be a communist state! And that’s a fact.

It may be asked: Why are Ilocanos so loyal to the Marcoses? The reason for this is that in Ilocandia, life is so hard compared to other regions in the country, so much so that Ilocanos often rely on their political leaders just to survive.

In Ilocos Sur, for instance, there is no arable land except along the beaches that extend all the way from La Union to Ilocos Norte. Abra, an inland province now part of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), is so mountainous that there are no means of livelihood. I should know; I was born there. People have to depend on their political leaders, which explains the fact that they take their politics so seriously and the province becomes violent during election time.

The province has been run by political families as far as I can remember.

The mentality of the Ilocanos is such that often when they group together, and when an Ilocano is in a position to help an Ilocano,

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EDITORIAL

Inday Sara backs BBM CONTRARY to skeptics’ suspicion, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio did not come to Cebu City to go trick-or-treating over the weekend.

The Davao City Mayor made it clear once more that she will not run for President in the upcoming elections, dousing persistent belief on both sides of the political fence that she continues to play coy.

Doubting Thomases in the administration still hope while those in the opposition fear that Inday Sara would substitute for Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as standard bearer of PDP-Laban by November 15.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

T

Like criminals

HE Pharmally siblings Mohit and Twinkle Dargani have gone into hiding to avoid arrest for contempt of Congress.

Executives of a small start-up that inexplicably bagged billions of pesos in government contracts for the purchase of pandemic supplies, Mohit, corporate secretary and treasurer, and Twinkle, company president, had refused to turn over documents sought by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

While in hiding, Mohit e-mailed a statement to the press to complain about their treatment at the hands of the senators, who are investigating the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They treat us like criminals whose lives aren’t worthy anymore,” he said.

“We tried our best to cooperate and respect them, but this was completely out of harmony with accepted legal standards.”

“The President has nothing to do with our transactions with PS-DBM,” Dargani said, referring to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, which blessed his company with more than P11 billion in government contracts. “We are being falsely accused for political gain.

The election is near and we are like hostages. This is not for the country anymore. But for their political survival.”

Perhaps they should stop acting like one.

Several points strike us as curious in Mohit Dargani’s statement.

First, nobody has directly linked President Duterte to the irregular transactions between Pharmally and the PS-DBM. Why, then, bring it up? If nobody is saying the President is guilty of any wrongdoing, why insist on his innocence? We can only surmise that this part of the statement was aimed at changing the perception of wrongdoing, which has been fueled by the President’s vociferous attack on the senators who are investigating the case and his vigorous defense of a company which he claims means nothing to him.

Second, the allegation that the senators are investigating Pharmally for political gain closely hews to the line of attack fa-

vored by the President and his faithful servants in the House of Representatives.

Third, Mohit Dargani’s claim that they tried their “best to cooperate” is clearly untrue, as evidenced by their refusal to produce the financial statements sought by the Blue Ribbon committee.

The chairman of that panel, Senator Richard Gordon, offered this succinct response to Mr. Dargani’s statement: “As Mr. Dargani continued to refuse to give us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, he left the committee no choice but to use its rarely-used power to cite him for contempt — not to punish him, but to compel him to give us a complete picture of the issue being investigated.”

If Mr. Dargani wishes not to be treated like a criminal, perhaps he should stop acting like one by going into hiding. We don’t know where he and his sister are hiding, of course. For all we know, they could be living out of their cars. For Mohit, that would be a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S worth P8 million, which he purchased after his small start-up with no track record closed billion-peso contracts with the government.

For Twinkle, that would be a 2021 Blu Astraeus 2021 Lamborghini Urus, valued at P25 million.

If Mr. Dargani thought he could generate some public sympathy with his statement, he is sadly mistaken.

Obligations of states trafficking and the obligations of States in this regard. It notes the instruments to which the Philippines is a State party signatory like: 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended by the Protocol amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961,176 the 1971 Convention on psychotropic substances, and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. These instruments make it the duty of States to make drug trafficking a criminal offence under domestic law and to prosecute their perpetrators with appropriate penalties in accordance with the law.

TAKING into consideration the elements of the crime against humanity as defined under the Rome Statute which we discussed extensively in the preceding segment of this series, and with the Pre-Trial Chamber having promulgated its decision upon the request by the Prosecutor to proceed with the investigation, the same Chamber comes up with its own determination as to whether the circumstances of the case measure up to the elements of the crime as enumerated in the Rome Statute.

On the element of whether an attack against a civilian population is present, the Chamber notes “a clear pattern of killings can be discerned covering the main period under examination, i.e. 1 July 2016 – 16 March 2019, and extending to the territory of the Philippines at large. This is a conclusion that can be drawn from the analysis of the Prosecutor’s submissions and the supporting material in the preceding section.”

As far as the Chamber is concerned, “a course of conduct, or an ‘overall flow of events’, is clearly discernible. Accordingly, the killings amount to an ‘attack’ within the meaning of Article 7(2)(a) of the Statute. In this context is noted that although the intensity of this course of conduct reduced on two occasions for relatively short periods of time following government decisions to suspend aspects of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign, the killings did not stop completely and in any case the disruptions were only temporary.”

It further appears, based on the available material as analyzed in the preceding section, that “the killings were directed against persons allegedly associated with the use and trafficking of illegal drugs. Thus, the attack targeted a civilian population within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Statute.”

At this juncture of the decision, the Chamber expresses some consideration regarding the international legal framework for drug he or she does it out of love. That’s the reason years ago whenever I renewed my driver’s license or had my car registered I used to look for an Ilocano in the car registration office to help me out. It’s some kind of tribalism, which explains the fact that Ilocanos remained loyal to their political leaders.

And that explains, my readers, why they remain loyal to the Marcoses who during the Marcos regime did so much for Ilocandia.

And that, my gulay, is the constituency of Bongbong Marcos!

The big question now is whether or not presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara will run for a national office. She will decide before November 15 to run for a national office. What will it be? My fearless forecast is that she will be Bongbong’s vice presidential candidate. I base this on the fact that Bongbong has no running mate up to now. And if Sara decides to run as the running mate of Bongbong, “tapos na ang boxing” as they say it in the vernacular.

As I have been saying, a Bongbong-Sara tandem is formidable, a combination of North and South. And with President Duterte still as popular as he is until he steps down, Bongbong-Sara is a winning team.

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

The so-called war-ondrugs campaign affected certain segments of the population disproportionately.

The Chamber also sets a reminder of the States’ duties under human rights law, citing legal instruments for the protection of human rights, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In the Chamber’s estimation, the killings committed between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 in the Philippines as part of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign cannot be legitimate anti-drug law enforcement operation on the part of the Philippine authorities.

In particular, the Chamber says, the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign “did not incorporate any formal and reviewable decision-making system in individual cases, and did not afford the interested and affected persons a serious opportunity to participate in the process, or to contest the claims against them.”

Based on available information, President Rodrigo Duterte has publicly encouraged extrajudicial killings in a way that is “inThose behind must work harder. The fact that Bongbong is a frontrunner gives the other presidential candidates a change to improve their rankings.

Take the case of Vice President Leni Robredo, who, according to surveys, ranks second to Bongbong. She must work harder, and not rely on her volunteer-supporters, which is a nebulous group that can always give their support to other candidates they believe will win. This is why the so-called fearless forecast of a female columnist in another newspaper gave me a big laugh.

She believes her candidate, Leni, will be the next President of the country, counting on the volunteer groups that have extended their support for Robredo. This columnist is also a board member of Maria Ressa’s Rappler that is being used by the US government to demonize Duterte.

Senator Ping Lacson is not as popular as he wants to be in Congress with his dislike of the pork barrel. Even in the Senate, his fellow senators just tolerate him. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno wants to reconcile people — an impossible dream. Manny Pacquiao has come up with that stupid promise to give homes to all squatters.

Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Head—Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

compatible with a genuine law enforcement operation, xxx persons were targeted based on their inclusion of lists of persons alleged to be involved with illegal drugs, but those lists were arbitrarily drawn up, it appears that non-state actors, or vigilantes, were significantly involved in the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign, with the support of the Philippine security forces.”

Moreover, there is available information to show that the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign affected certain segments of the population disproportionately, with victims more likely male, between 20 and 40 years old, and, if they lived in a city, resided in shantytowns or in and of the many pockets of poverty across the metropolis, and a disproportionate number being jobless or working in the informal economy, possibly as construction workers, tricycle drivers, ‘scavengers’, or neighborhood watchmen.

The Chamber reaches this conclusion after considering the following information as submitted by the Prosecutor: First, the killing of alleged drug dealers and users, or even more broadly ‘criminals’ has been frequently encouraged by Rodrigo Duterte, both during his campaign for Presidency and after becoming President of the Philippines and earlier as Davao City mayor.

Second, the Chamber notes the existence of “a clear link between the killings and the government’s formal anti-drug campaign” as shown in the president’s pronouncement “to get rid of illegal drugs during the first six months of his term” The Chamber also cites the Prosecutor’s submission that the reference to ‘neutralizing’ is used in its euphemistic meaning of ‘killing’ which is supported by records of police insiders stating that in killing persons during purported anti-drug operations, they followed instructions of the government.

Third, the Chamber puts to the task the “consistent reference in the supporting material to lists of persons alleged to be involved with illegal drugs.”

Fourth, the Chamber also takes into account the information that “physical perpetrators were given cash payments, promotions or awards for killings in the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign.”

And finally, it also considers the information about the Philippine authorities’ lack of willingness to take meaningful steps to investigate or prosecute the killings.

I will conclude this series on Saturday.

MORE OPINION ONLINE (www.manilastandard.net)

Fidels and Vicos

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

B2

World

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Fire ‘stabilized’ on cargo ship spewing toxic gas off Canada MONTREAL—The Canadian Coast Guard said Sunday that a fire spewing toxic gas from a container ship had been “stabilized” and that it now planned to deploy firefighters to the vessel to quell the rest of the blaze.

The Zim Kingston is anchored off the city of Victoria in British Columbia, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca which marks the maritime border between Canada and the United States, according to the marine tracking site MarineTraffic.

It was bound for Vancouver when the fire broke out, with the blaze reported to the Coast Guard at around 11:00 pm local time Saturday, CBC News reported.

A total of 16 people were evacuated from the ship, with five remaining onboard.

The Canadian Coast Guard announced Sunday that the fire had now “been stabilized”, while saying that strong West Coast storms expected for Monday could thwart plans to send firefighters aboard.

“Depending on weather tomorrow (Monday), hazardous materials firefighters will board the ship to fight any remaining fires and ensure the fire is out,” the Coast Guard said.

Accounts vary as to the extent of the fire, with the Coast saying the blaze “broke out in ten containers” while the vessel’s Cypriot owner, Danos Shipping, saying it occurred in two.

Despite the “toxic gas” that the Coast Guard said was emanating from the ship, there was no current risk to people on the shore, it insisted.

The fire was caused by “excessive listing due to extreme weather,” Danos has said, adding that no injuries were reported.

The firm said it was sending claims adjusters on board “to ensure that conditions are appropriate for the safe return of the vessel’s crew.”

Emergency tow vessels, tugs and the Canadian Coast Guard were set to monitor the ship overnight to ensure that it remains secured. AFP

CHEMICAL FIRE. In

this photo taken by Gerald Graham and received by AFP on October 24, smoke is seen rising from the side of the container ship Zim Kingston off Canada’s Pacific coast. The Zim Kingston ship had been bound for Vancouver when the flames erupted, with the fire reported to the coast guard at around 11 pm local time Saturday, CBC News reported.

CHEMICAL FIRE. In this photo taken by Gerald Graham and received by AFP on October 24, smoke is seen rising from the side of the container ship Zim Kingston off Canada’s Pacific coast. The Zim Kingston ship had been bound for Vancouver when the flames erupted, with the fire reported to the coast guard at around 11 pm local time Saturday, CBC News reported. AFP

West braces for envoys exiting Turkey

A

NKARA—Turkey’s relations with Western allies edged Monday toward their deepest crisis of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 19-year rule as world capitals braced for Ankara’s possible expulsion of ambassadors from the US and nine other countries.

The lira touched new historic lows ahead of a cabinet meeting that could prove fateful to Turkey’s economic and diplomatic standing for the coming

months—and possibly years, analysts say.

The cabinet session will address Erdogan’s decision Saturday to declare the Western envoys “persona non grata” for their joint statement in support of jailed civil society leader, Osman Kavala.

Expulsion orders are officially issued by foreign ministries and none of the Western capitals had reported receiving any by early Monday.

Some analysts said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and a few other cabinet members were still trying to talk Erdogan out of following through on his declaration and to change his mind.

But the Turkish lira -- a gauge of both investor confidence and political stability -- lost more than one percent in value on fears of an effective break in An-

Amnesty to shutter Hong Kong offices, blames security law HONG KONG—Amnesty International said Monday it will shutter its offices in Hong Kong because of the threat posed to staff by a national security law that has fronted a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the business hub.

China imposed the law last year in response to massive and often violent democracy protests, transforming Hong Kong’s political, cultural, and legal landscape and introducing mainland-style speech curbs.

Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, chair of Amnesty’s board, said the decision to close had been made “with a heavy heart” and was “driven by Hong Kong’s national security law”. “(It) has made it effectively impossible for human rights organizations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government,” she added.

The decision ends more than four decades of the international human rights group’s presence in the city.

Amnesty maintains two offices in Hong Kong.

The first is a local branch that focuses on human rights and campaigns in the city itself. Recent reports published by the team have included investigations into how the security law has been deployed and studies of the police’s use of force against democracy protesters.

The second office is a regional headquarters that carries out research and advocacy work across East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Manila Amnesty said the local office would Standard closeTODAY on October 31 while the regional office would move out “by the end of 2021”.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s decision to pursue a zero-Covid strategy and maintain some of the world’s strictest quarantine measures is hammering the city’s business reputation, the top lobby group for financial firms in the city said Monday. AFP

(OCT. 26, 2021)

kara’s relations with its main allies and most important trading partners.

“Typically, the countries whose ambassadors have been kicked out retaliate with tit-for-tat expulsions, potentially in a coordinated manner,” Eurasia Group’s Europe director Emre Peker said.

“Restoring high-level diplomatic relations after such a spat would prove challenging.”

‘False justification’ The crisis started when the embassies of the United States, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden issued a highly unusual statement last Monday calling for Kavala’s release.

The 64-year-old philanthropist and businessman has been in jail without a

conviction since 2017.

Supporters view Kavala as an innocent symbol of the growing intolerance of political dissent Erdogan developed after surviving a failed military putsch in 2016.

But Erdogan accuses Kavala of financing a wave of 2013 anti-government protests and then playing a role in the coup attempt.

Kavala’s case could prompt the Council of Europe human rights watchdog to launch its first disciplinary hearings against Turkey at a four-day meeting ending on December 2.

The diplomatic escalation comes as Erdogan faces falling domestic approval ratings and a brewing economic crisis that has seen life turn more painful for ordinary Turks. AFP

US to begin UK appeal vs. block on extradition of Assange

LONDON—The United States government will on Wednesday begin an appeal to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face trial for publishing military secrets, after a British judge blocked a request earlier this year.

Washington said after the decision in January that it was “extremely disappointed” by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser’s decision, which was made on the grounds of Assange being a suicide risk.

It is seeking to overturn that ruling at a two-day hearing from Wednesday, having argued during its request for an appeal that the judge “didn’t appreciate the weight” of expert evidence that said he was not at risk of taking his own life.

Instead, it claimed the judge was “misled” by relying on evidence presented by Assange’s psychiatric expert Michael Kopelman.

Assange, 50, was arrested in Britain in 2019 for jumping bail after spending seven years inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London to evade extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault, which were later dropped.

Despite his extradition being blocked, Assange has been refused ROADBLOCK. This grab taken from a video by Rasd Sudan Network made available on the ESN platform on October 25 bail pending the outcome of the apshows Sudanese protesters burning tyres to block a road in the capital Khartoum, to denounce overnight detentions by the army peal over fears he would abscond and of members of Sudan’s government. AFP is being held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.

He is wanted in Washington to face 18 charges relating to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 seKHARTOUM -- Armed forces detained tions, an AFP correspondent said. tions of the Sudanese people,” Feltman cret files detailing aspects of military Sudan’s prime minister over his refusal “Civilian members of the transitional said in a statement on Twitter. campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. to support their “coup” on Monday, the sovereign council and a number of min“Any changes to the transitional governIf convicted in the United States, information ministry said, after weeks isters from the transitional government ment by force puts at risk US assistance.” he faces a maximum sentence of 175 of tensions between military and civil- have been detained by joint military ‘Military coup’ years in jail. ian figures who shared power since the forces,” the information ministry said.

State television began broadcasting Judge Baraitser said it was not eviouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

“They have been led to an unidenti- patriotic songs. dent that the US, keeping him jailed Civilian members of Sudan’s ruling fied location,” it said.

The Sudanese Professionals Associacouncil and ministers in Hamdok’s tranIt added later that “after refusing to tion, an umbrella group of trade unions while awaiting trial, would be able to sitional government were also detained support the coup, an army force detained which were key in leading the 2019 ensure his safety in prisons known for by the joint military forces, the ministry Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and anti-Bashir protests, denounced what it “harsh conditions”.

CYAN YELLOW BLACK testimony said in a statement on Facebook. took him to an unidentified location”. called a “military coup” and urged dem-MAGENTA She rejected US experts’ Internet services were cut across the US Special Envoy for the Horn of Af- onstrators “to fiercely resist” it. that Assange would be protected from country and the main roads and bridges rica Jeffrey Feltman said “the US is deeply The developments come just two days self-harm, noting that others such as connecting with the capital Khartoum alarmed at reports of a military takeover of after a Sudanese faction calling for a disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epshuttered, it added. the transitional government”. transfer of power to civilian rule warned stein had managed to kill themselves Dozens of demonstrators set car tyres “This would contravene the Consti- of a “creeping coup”, at a news conferin custody despite wardens’ supervion fire as they gathered on the streets of tutional Declaration (which outlines the ence that an unidentified mob attacked sion. AFP the capital to protest against the deten- transition) and the democratic aspira- had sought to prevent. AFP

Armed forces detain PM, other leaders in Sudan ‘coup’

3 dead, 3 missing after avalanche on Ecuador’s Chimborazo volcano QUITO—An avalanche Sunday on a snow-capped Ecuadoran volcano, the highest peak in the country, killed at least three climbers and left three others missing, officials reported.

The avalanche struck a group of 16 mountaineers while at an altitude of 6,100 meters (20,000 feet) on the dormant Chimborazo volcano, according to responders.

“There are three missing mountaineers, three dead, three injured and seven rescued, out of a total of 16 people,” Quito firefighters, who provided emergency support, said in a statement.

A previous report from the country’s ECU911 security service had said four climbers had died and one was injured.

Authorities did not identify the climbers or their nationalities, but the Quito newspaper El Comercio reported that all were Ecuadoran.

The avalanche was spurred by “weather conditions” and was not caused by any volcanic activity, according to the firefighters.

Rescuers as well as police and military personnel specialized in high-elevation operations set up a command center at Chimborazo to coordinate search-and-rescue operations.

The volcano, which rises more than 6,200 meters high, is covered in snow and glaciers year-round and is located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Quito. AFP

BALLOT DUMP. Members of a local election commission empty a ballot box to count votes in Uzbekistan’s presidential election at a polling station in Tashkent on October 24. AFP

Business

B3

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Evergrande resumes work on more than 10 stalled projects

PSEi October 25, 2021

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

EVER FEU

0.38 600

0.045 45

13.43% 8.11%

3

LODE

0.68

0.05

7.94%

4

HI

3.93

0.26

7.08%

5 6

ATI ATNB

15.38 0.48

0.88 0.025

6.07% 5.49%

7

SGI

1.21

0.06

5.22%

8

PRMX

2.18

0.1

4.81%

9 10

ION PNX

0.9 11.18

0.04 0.48

4.65% 4.49%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

MFIN BSC

2.4 0.69

-0.3 -0.06

-11.11% -8.00%

3

MAH

1.62

-0.11

-6.36%

4

FAF

0.59

-0.04

-6.35%

5 6 7

ALCO HOUSE APC

0.64 9.2 0.25

-0.04 -0.57 -0.015

-5.88% -5.83% -5.66%

8 9 10

LAND GPH ACEX

1.06 15.6 18.2

-0.06 -0.88 -0.96

-5.36% -5.34% -5.01%

MOST ACTIVE 1

ALI

VOLUME 14,539,400

VALUE (PHP) 526,630,460

2 3

ACEN SMPH

41,842,500 11,915,100

468,307,662 428,466,125

4 5

CNVRG URC

8,490,200 1,740,400

270,421,000 238,271,958

6 7 8

BDO ICT GLO

1,684,380 989,230 57,040

217,406,231 181,946,692 172,199,110

9 10

MONDE LTG

9,785,900 15,435,500

159,737,604 159,345,562

NO TO EURO. A woman puts her signature on a signature collection list, as some right-wing Croatian opposition parties are collecting signatures from citizens to hold a referendum on the introduction of the euro instead of the kuna, the official Croatian currency, in downtown Zagreb on October 24, 2021.The Croatian government wants to introduce the euro currency in 2024, which some opposition parties oppose. AFP

Stocks down again; Ayala issues, Basic Energy drop T HE stock market fell for the second straight day Monday as investors continued to take profits from last week’s gains.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index shed 78.07 points, or 1.1 percent, to 7,211.54 on a value turnover of P5.6 billion. Losers beat gainers, 120 to 75, with 55 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. of the Ayala Group dropped 4.4 percent to P35.85, while parent Ayala Corp. declined 2.6 percent to P846.

Basic Energy Corp. sank 8 percent to P0.69, while Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution and hospitals lost 3.1 percent at P4.01.

The rest of Asian markets were mixed Monday following last week’s gains, with investors keeping a worried eye

on a fresh COVID outbreak in China that could drag on the already stuttering economy.

Long-running worries about inflation continued to cast a shadow over trading floors, though a healthy batch of earnings has tempered those concerns in the past couple of weeks.

Reports by tech titans including Amazon, Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are on the agenda this week, and will be closely followed for an idea about what impact supply chain snarls and rising prices are having on their bottom lines.

Their forward guidance will also be of interest as they contemplate tighter central bank monetary policies and a possible hike in interest rates next year.

Tech firms are usually more susceptible to higher borrowing costs.

News that troubled China Evergrande had paid interest due on a bond before Saturday’s deadline provided a much-needed boost to confidence,

though it remains to be seen whether the property developer can meet obligations on other notes due before the end of the year.

Chinese markets also got some extra cheer from Evergrande saying it had resumed work on more than 10 projects.

But there were concerns about the property sector after reports that China plans to expand pilot property tax reforms as part of a drive against real estate speculation.

Hong Kong and Shanghai edged up, with traders keeping tabs on the latest Delta variant outbreak in mainland China, which comes just over three months before the country hosts the Winter Olympics.

The latest spike has forced authorities to reimposeManila strict containment Standard measures, but there are fears of a wider TODAY lockdown that would weigh on economic growth. Recent outbreaks this year played a role in the below-par expansion seen in the third quarter. With AFP

Questions over S. Arabia’s ‘net zero’ pledge NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

Yellen expects US inflation to slacken by mid-to-late 2022 NEW YORK—Inflation in the United States, pushed upward by pandemicrelated supply and labor problems, should return to more moderate levels in the second half of next year, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday.

With supply-chain woes slowing deliveries of a range of parts, including the semiconductors needed by automakers, and amid widespread labor shortages and still strong demand for products, US consumer prices in September were 5.4 percent higher than in the same month in 2020, raising concerns about economic recovery.

But Yellen told CNN’s “State of the Union” she sees a positive trend.

“Monthly rates of inflation have already fallen substantially from the very high rates that we saw in the spring and early summer.”

She added: “On a 12-month basis, the inflation rate will remain high into next year because of what’s already happened, but I expect improvement by the middle to end of next year, second half of next year.”

The US Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank, aims for an annual inflation rate of around two percent over time.

“I don’t think we’re about to lose control of inflation,” said Yellen, who chaired the Fed before being named by President Joe Biden to lead the Treasury Department.

She acknowledged that “Americans have not seen inflation like we have experienced recently in a long time.”

But Yellen added that conditions should improve as the country gradually recovers from the pandemic crisis, as supply-chain woes are resolved and as more people return to work.

“Already on a monthly basis, the inflation numbers are way down below their peaks,” she said. AFP

BEIJING, China—Shares of embattled Chinese developer Evergrande rose Monday after it said it had resumed work on more than 10 projects, as it sought to soothe fears about its debt struggles.

The liquidity crisis at one of the nation’s biggest property developers has hammered investor sentiment, rattled China’s crucial real estate market and fueled talk of spillover into the wider economy.

But the firm—drowning in a sea of debt worth more than $300 billion— last week paid interest on an offshore bond just before a Saturday deadline, averting a default and giving it a muchneeded reprieve.

Evergrande was reported to have missed several offshore bond payments and while it had a 30-day grace period on some of them, there had been a general expectation it would not be able to meet its obligations.

And on Monday investors welcomed an announcement that its Shenzhen operations had “resumed work and production for more than 10 projects in six locations.”

Shares in the firm rallied more than four percent in early trade.

The group had 778 projects spanning 233 cities in China as at end-June, according to its latest interim report.

Work at some sites had been halted in recent months, however, while suppliers and contractors complained the company had yet to pay them.

The firm has been plunged into crisis since Beijing began last year clamping down on the country’s colossal property sector—estimates say it accounts for a quarter of the economy—in a bid to rein in excessive debt.

But the measures to restrict borrowing cut off companies’ ability to complete projects.

Anxious homebuyers earlier told AFP they had turned up at unfinished sites to demand information.

“Since the start of the year, strict regulation of the property market has plunged Evergrande into a crisis vortex,” the company said in a statement on its WeChat account Sunday. AFP

DEAR STOCKHOLDERS: Please be informed that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Allied Care Experts (ACE) Medical Center- Tacloban, Inc. (“ACEMCTacloban”) will be held on November 15, 2021 (Monday) at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, via Zoom Webinar, in light of the COVID pandemic.

For the conduct of the Webinar, please register on or before November 3, 2021, through the following link: https://us06web. z o o m . u s / w / 8 11 3 2 8 9 2 9 1 5 ? t k = e I H V 2 W 0 d 0 K x N 1 Tw x 9 W u v E T T R v - 4 F Y 7 8 R D t 9 _ t W J Z 6 B s . D Q M A A A A S 4 - W y 8 x p m Y W t l LT d f SjdSS3BTUEtyOHdxeVVkNzZZZwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AA AAAAA AA&pwd=R0c0G1JUzUwNVJEeklaRnI1RTErdz09 Once you have successfully registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about the webinar meeting.

Attendees are pictured during the opening ceremony of the Saudi Green Initiative forum on October 23, 2021, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

By Mohamad Ali Harissi DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Saudi Arabia’s pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060 must go hand-in-hand with a plan to phase out fossil fuels, experts said on Sunday.

They questioned plans by the world’s top oil exporter to raise its production capacity despite the pledge, and Greenpeace raised doubts over the timing of Saturday’s announcement.

The watchdog accused Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest polluters, of trying to divert criticism at next week’s COP26 climate-change summit in Glasgow.

With increasing global urgency to limit global warming, COP26 aims to set the world on a path to net zero by mid-century.

“We question the seriousness of this announcement, as it comes in parallel with plans for the kingdom to increase its oil production,” Greenpeace MENA campaigns manager Ahmad El Droubi said in a statement.

Saudi state oil firm Aramco said this month it plans to increase production capacity from 12 million to 13 million barrels a day by 2027.

Riyadh’s net zero pledge “seems to simply be a strategic move to alleviate political pressure ahead of COP26,” El Droubi said.

For Ben Cahill, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the kingdom “will have to make a massive push on energy efficiency and decarbonizing the power sector.”

Saudi Arabia also said it would join a global effort to cut emissions of methane—another planet-warming gas—by 30 percent by 2030,

while Aramco committed to being a carbon net zero enterprise by 2050.

The United Nations says more than 130 countries have set or are considering a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by mid-century, an objective it says is “imperative” to safeguard a liveable climate.

Carbon neutrality is a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

Saturday’s Saudi pledge came after neighboring United Arab Emirates, also one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, said it was targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Bahrain, which exports refined petroleum, made a promise similar to Saudi on Sunday.

Oil for water Saudi Arabia, the largest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, also draws heavily on oil and natural gas to meet its growing power demands and desalinate its water.

The sun-drenched desert kingdom, population 34 million, is estimated to belch about 600 million tons of carbon dioxide per year—more than France (population 67 million) and slightly less than Germany (population 83 million).

Crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, who made Saturday’s announcement, in 2016 announced his Vision 2030 to end Saudi Arabia’s addiction to oil by diversifying the economy through foreign investments, business opportunities and other measures.

But the wide-ranging initiative has been further complicated by the coronavirus and falling crude prices, and oil still makes up more than 70 percent of the kingdom’s export value. AFP

The link will provide you the process for the registration. You will receive a confirmation email once you have successfully registered in the platform, including the details and procedures in the conduct of the meeting. Voting will be done via the online tool which you can access once you have logged in to the Webinar; voting in the election of directors may also be done in absentia through the above link.

The meeting shall be recorded (visual and audio) for future reference.

The Agenda: I. II. III. IV. V.

Call to Order Invocation Determination of Quorum Welcome Message Reading and Approval of the Minutes of the Y2020 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting VI. Presentation and Approval of the Y2020 Audited Financial Statements VII. President’s Report VIII. Ratification of the Acts and Proceedings of the Board of Directors, Officers, and Management of the Corporation for the period December 30,2020 to November 14,2021 X. Election of the Board of Directors 2021-2022 XI. Appointment of External Auditor for the year 2021 XII. Other Matters XIII. Adjournment Only stockholders of record at the close of business on October 27, 2021, Thursday, shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. If you cannot personally attend the meeting, you may opt to send your proxy to attend in your behalf. Kindly submit your duly executed proxy form with the undersigned, via email, at acemctacloban2015@gmail.com not later than 5:00 p.m. on November 14, 2021, but preferably, on November 3, 2021, to enable your proxy to register in the Zoom Webinar. Attached is a sample proxy form for your reference. [NOTE: Management is not soliciting proxies.]

The Information Statement and Management Report and SEC Form 17-A are available at the Corporation’s website at https://acemctacloban.com You may contact the undersigned via email at acemctacloban2015@gmail. com through mobile number 09178178394 if you have inquiries/concerns regarding the meeting.

Very truly yours,

LA RHAINE G. VIERNES Corporate Secretary (OCT. 25 & 26, 2021)

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Business

9-month budget deficit widened to P1.13t

By Julito G. Rada

T

he government incurred a budget deficit of P180.9 billion in September, or 30.6 percent higher than the P138.5-billion shortfall a year ago, as the 17.50-percent growth in spending surpassed the 8.96-percent growth in revenue collections, data from the Bureau of the Treasury show.

The latest figure brought the cumulative budget deficit in the first nine months to P1.139 trillion, up 29.56 percent from the P879.2-billion deficit a year ago.

“The P1.1-trillion cumulative deficit for the nine-month period, which is equivalent to 61 percent of the revised P1.8 trillion full-year program, similar-

ly surpassed the shortfall recorded for the same period last year by 29.56 percent but was still 20.11 percent lower versus the P1.4-trillion adjusted yearto-date target,” the Treasury said.

Revenue generation in September reached P231.4 billion, up 8.96 percent over the same month in 2020. The resulting cumulative collection as of end-

September also increased to P2.2 trillion, up by 4.37 percent or P93.7 billion from the same period last year and 4.71 percent above the revised program.

Ninety-one percent or P2.0 trillion of the total was raised from taxes while non-tax revenues, which declined by 27.36 percent amid lower income of the Treasury, made up the remaining 9 percent or P210.1 billion. About 78 percent of the P2.9-trillion revised full-year program was collected as of end-September.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue posted a 9.69-percent year-on-year increase in September collections, reaching P154.2 billion. The agency’s September performance drove its cumulative collection to P1.5 trillion, breaching the prior year’s achievement and the revised January to September 2021 program by

6.86 percent or P99.0 billion and 0.72 percent or P11.1 billion, respectively.

The Bureau of Customs raised P57.6 billion, up by 13.42 percent or P6.8 billion more than the P50.8 billion collected in September 2020. Its aggregate revenue in the first three quarters reached P469.8 billion, representing 18.04-percent or P71.8-billion increase from a year earlier and 3.13 percent above the revised program of P455.6 billion.

Revenues raised by the Bureau of the Treasury amounted to P5.6 billion in September, down by 35.04 percent or P3.0 billion from the comparable period last year, on a 89.74-percent drop in dividend remittance. This resulted in 47.56-percent decline in cumulative revenue of P105.5 billion in the nine-month period from P201.6 billion a year ago.

BDO’s net profit surged to P32.4b in three quarters BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest lender controlled by the Sy family, said Monday earnings returned to pre-pandemic levels after it posted a 95-percent growth in net income in the first nine months to P32.4 billion from P16.6 billion a year ago.

It said with the latest performance, it surpassed the 2020 net income of P28.2 billion that was pulled down by pre-emptive provisions of P30.2 billion against potential delinquencies from the pandemic.

BDO said in a statement the expansion in the first three quarters was driven by its resilient business franchise and normalized provisions. It said the business outlook “turns positive with increasing vaccination rates and improving mobility.”

Gross customer loans outpaced the industry with a 5-percent yearon-year increase while total deposits went up by 6 percent, driven by the 14-percent expansion in current account/savings account deposits that now comprise 85 percent of total deposits.

Non-interest income increased by 13 percent year-on-year, while trading and forex gains normalized to P2.8 billion.

Total capital base strengthened to P422.3 billion, with common equity tier 1 ratio at 13.8 percent, above the regulatory minimum.

The bank’s book value per common share went up to P94.76 as of end-September from P84.82 in the same period last year, for a 12-percent growth.

Return on average common equity in the first nine months improved to 10.72 percent from 5.97 percent in the same period last year.

The bank sustained investments in its IT/digital infrastructure and expanded its digital capabilities to further elevate customer experience and raise productivity. The bank launched early this year its mobile wallet BDO Pay. BDO clients can now enjoy paperless in-branch transactions, card-less ATM transactions using biometrics and QR codes and fully digital account opening. Julito G. Rada

Monday, October 25, 2021

-78.07 PTS. 7,211.54

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

913,570,372 82,608

TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES

5,574,214,608.85 75 120

UNCHANGED

55

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.8320

Japan

Yen

0.008807

0.4477

UK

Pound

1.375300

69.9092

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128649

6.5395

Switzerland

Franc

1.091584

55.4874

Canada

Dollar

0.808865

41.1162

Singapore

Dollar

0.742060

37.7204

Australia

Dollar

0.746500

37.9461

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652661

134.8401

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266617

13.5527

Brunei

Dollar

0.739317

37.5810

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.029958

1.5228

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.8409

Euro

Euro

1.164000

59.1684

Korea

Won

0.000850

0.0432

China

Yuan

0.156617

7.9612

India

Rupee

0.013334

0.6778

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241080

12.2546

New Zealand

Dollar

0.714900

36.3398

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035911

1.8254 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

Synergy says offering price ‘very attractive’ SYNERGY Grid & Development Philippines Inc. said Monday its follow-on offering was priced at a “very attractive level” of P12 per common share whose proceeds will be used to subscribe to the shares of grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

Synergy Grid set the price of its FOO of 1,053,500,000 primary common shares with an overallotment option of up to 101 million secondary shares at P12 per common share.

Synergy Grid at this price level will raise P13.85 billion from the sale of 1.15 billion shares, including the over-allotment option.

“The SGP FOO was priced at a very attractive level. The FOO provides everyone with an avenue to invest in NGCP, the sole concession holder of the country’s power transmission backbone. By participating in the FOO, we become long-term partners in supporting the country’s growth and development,” said Synergy Grid chairman Henry Sy Jr. in a statement.

The company will use the proceeds of the FOO to directly subscribe to non-voting preferred shares that will be issued by NGCP.

LRMC acquires new train for LRT 1

MRT-7 TRAINS. San Miguel Corp. mounts two more brand-new Hyundai Rotem train sets on the tracks of the 22-kilometer Metro Rail Transit Line 7 project, following the arrival of the first batch from Korea last month. The company expects to receive and install six of the total 36 sets before the year ends. Similar to the first two train sets that arrived in September, the new trains are mounted on the MRT-7 tracks between University Ave. and Tandang Sora. The entire MRT system will have a total of 108 cars.

Meralco posts P18.1-b core income on 6% sales growth

By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co. said Monday consolidated core net income rose 15 percent in the first nine months to P18.1 billion from P15.7 billion in the same period last year after a 6-percent increase in sales volume and higher contribution from business units and subsidiaries.

Net income increased 47 percent in the nine-month period to P16.5 billion from P11.3 billion a year earlier on exceptional charges arising from the impairment recognized from the company’s investment in PacificLight Power Ltd. in 2020.

“Our financial results through September are encouraging, and there is indication that we will exceed the CCNI achieved last year,” Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Meralco posted an income of P21.7 billion in 2020, a 9-percent decline from P23.8 billion in 2019.

Consolidated energy sales rose 6 per-

cent in the first three quarters to 34,398 gigawatt-hours from 32,539 gWh in 2020 as commercial and industrial sectors recovered in the nine-month period following more flexible community quarantine restrictions and sustained growth in the residential sector.

Residential sales accounted for 37 percent of sales volume, while commercial and industrial sales accounted for 33 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

Residential and commercial sales grew 2 percent while industrial sales registered the highest increase at 16 percent, backed by strong performance of the semiconductor industry amid high demand for microchips, electronic parts and devices; growth from cement and steel industries stimulated by public and private construction projects; and higher operational capacities in the food and beverage, and plastics industries.

Pangilinan said the sudden but significant rise in fuel prices across the

board–gas, coal and oil – which can impact generation margins and the lingering effect of the pandemic remain key risks to the fourth-quarter outlook.

“We will nonetheless continue to be steadfast as we collectively learn to navigate this new normal and slowly mitigate the impact of both these adverse developments to lives and businesses,” he said.

Power generation arm Meralco PowerGen Corp. contributed P934million to CCNI as of end-September with P150 million as MGen realized increased income from 2,251-megawatt total combined power generation capacity.

Meralco’s consolidated revenues went up by 11 percent to P231.7 billion from P208.8 billion, boosted by electricity revenues, which grew by 11 percent to P225.4 billion from P203 billion. Non-electricity revenues contributed P6.3 billion, marking a 9-percent increase from the P5.8 billion reported in the same period in 2020.

Blackout looms over Bantayan amid dispute A BLACKOUT looms over the bustling Bantayan Island off northern Cebu province with the tug-of-war between two bidders still unresolved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Local power distributor Bantayan Island Electric Cooperative conceded its preferred generation firm, Isla Norte Energy Corp., would charge higher rates than current electricity provider Bantayan Island Power Corp.

The 15-year contract of Bipcor will expire on Nov. 8, 2021 while the ERC remains undecided on the draft power supply agreement filed by INEC which claimed it has clincheda new 15-year contract.

BIPCOR raised legal infirmities on the deal between INEC and Banelco, alleging that the bids and award committee did not follow the rules when it selected and ruled in favor of Vivant Energy Corp., INEC’s holding company that actually took part in the bidding.

INEC was introduced as Vivant’s substitute in the unfinished transaction, the legality of which was also questioned by Bipcor.

The question on who would energize Bantayan after Nov. 8 remains uncertain, without a clear mandate granted

PSE INDEX CLOSING

by the ERC. To resolve the issue and ward off the likelihood of an indefinite blackout in Bantayan, Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia called for an emergency meeting on Thursday, attended by representatives of Bipcor and INEC, the local electric cooperative, the ERC and the mayors of the three Bantayan towns.

Asked by the governor about his company’s power generation capacity, the Bipcor representative said they have more than enough to meet the demand of 7 megawatts, augmented by two rented generators set in place since last Sept. 14. Bipcor also signified its offer to continue to supply power to the island beyond the expiration of the PSA. Although she acknowledged the need for additional power in Bantayan, Garcia said that she had made representations with ERC chief Agnes Devanadera on behalf INEC, telling the latter that INEC had already completed the testing and commissioning of a new power plant in Bantayan.

She also disclosed that she had urged ERC to allow INEC to beef up Bipcor’s power supply for the time being, in the process effectively extending INEC’s two-month testing period.

LIGHT Rail Manila Corp. said Monday it acquired a fourth-generation train set to be deployed by the middle of next year.

LRMC, along with partners from the Department of Transportation, Light Rail Transit Authority and Manila Harbor Center Port Services Inc., received the Gen-4 train sets in batches this year since the arrival of the first set on Jan. 18, 2021.

The company said of the 30 train sets that are scheduled for delivery until June 2022, 12 sets were delivered as of October. The Gen-4 train sets would be deployed for LRT 1 system and Cavite Extension project.

Each Gen-4 train set consists of 4 light rail vehicles with total capacity of 1,300 passengers per trip. The state-of-the-art passenger train measures 106 meters in length and 2.59 meters in width, with maximum design speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. They have destination signs to inform passengers if the trains are heading north or south. Darwin G. Amojelar

Megaworld reports 214,000 office take-ups MEGAWORLD Premier Offices, the office leasing arm of township developer Megaworld, expanded its office lease target by 12 percentin the first nine months, reflecting continued demand despite the pandemic restrictions imposed during the period.

Office take-ups reached 214,000 square meters from January to September, up from the modest target of 191,000 square meters, which is what was achieved during the same period last year.

“It is exciting to note that several tenants opted to retain their spaces, and even expanded during the pandemic. The demand still remains despite earlier speculations that the workfrom-home arrangements will lead to massive vacancies,” said Roland Tiongson, first vice president of Megaworld Premier Offices and president of MREIT Fund Managers Inc., in a statement.

Thirty six percent of the leases were new deals mostly in Uptown Bonifacio, McKinley Hill, Southwoods City and Davao Park District. Around 79 percent of the new sign-ups are from the information technology and business process management sector.

Alena Mae S. Flores

TEACHER TREATS. CitySavings Bankers nationwide show their appreciation to teacherclients through tokens and treats at the National Teachers’ Month branch event activation. Now in its 13th year, NTM has become even more relevant as the nation continues to battle COVID-19. Despite the challenges brought by community quarantines nationwide, teachers ensure that learning never stops. As a long-time partner of DepEd, UnionBank’s thrift bank subsidiary City Savings Bank Inc. offers initiatives that focus on appreciating and raising the quality of teaching.

100 experts push for open-minded dialogue on tobacco control

INDEPENDENT experts from different countries asked the World Health Organization’s forthcoming tobacco control conference in November to be more open to stakeholders, including consumers, public health experts and businesses, if they truly want to reduce the global death toll from smoking.

It is one of the recommendations in a letter signed by 100 independent experts in tobacco and nicotine science ahead of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Ninth Conference of the Parties, which will be held virtually on Nov. 8 to

13, 2021.

The experts asked the country representatives to the meeting to acknowledge the role of tobacco harm reduction in lessening smoking rates in countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.

The COP is the governing body of the WHO FCTC composed of delegations from all parties to the treaty. The FCTC is the first treaty on tobacco control negotiated under the auspices of the WHO. “We are independent experts in tobacco and nicotine science and policy. We write

to urge parties to the FCTC to encourage WHO to support and promote the inclusion of tobacco harm reduction into the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” they said in a joint letter.

In their recommendations, signatories in the letter asked the country representatives to include THR as a component of the global strategy to combat non-communicable diseases; assess safer nicotine alternatives for smokers, would-be smokers, and adolescents; and require policy proposals to reflect the unintended consequences of strategies like prohibition.

Sports

Referee taken off rotation in PBA finals ONE of the four referees who officiated in Game 3 of the Magnolia-TNT best-of-seven 2021 Philippine Cup Finals has been reprimanded and removed from the officiating rotation in the ongoing title series.

The official was sanctioned following a bad call he made during the game last Sunday.

It happened with more than three minutes left in the second quarter and with Magnolia leading 43-39, as Hotshots’ star Paul Lee went for a three-point attempt from near the top of the freethrow circle.

It was at the TV replays that TNT guard Brian Heruela tried to come close and did not touch Lee’s shooting hand or came near his landing spot. But the unnamed referee still called a foul on the Tropang Giga player, drawing howls of protest from the TNT camp.

It was learned that league officials prevented the referee from officiating the rest of the game.

Magnolia won the game, 106-98, and trimmed their series deficit to 1-2.

TNT team owner Manny V. Pangilinan took notice on the officiating in a twitter message.

The four officials who worked the game were Peter Balao, Sherwin Pineda, Janine Nicandro, and Kenny Hallig.

Peter Atencio

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

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Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (bottom right) receives online the Breakthrough NOC Award.

POC gets Breakthrough NOC award for Diaz’s Olympic gold

T

HE Philippine Olympic Committee on Monday received the Breakthrough NOC Award from the Association of National Olympic Committees for winning its first Olympic gold medal through weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in the Tokyo Games in July.

POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino received the award online during the ceremonies held in Heraklion, Greece, on Sunday.

“The POC is honored to receive this award from the ANOC. It’s been almost a century or after 22 Olympics

that we finally won our first Olympic gold medal,” said Tolentino as he reiterated his praises for Diaz, silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial for their remarkable performance in Tokyo.

“This award is not only for the POC, but for the entire country and the 15 other Filipino athletes who gallantly competed in the Tokyo Olympics,” Tolentino said.

The ANOC Awards were held for the first time in Bangkok in 2014 and have been held every year since then.

The event was created in order to recognize and honor the achievements of the NOCs and their athletes as well as distinguished members of the Olympic Family.

Also receiving the award for winning their first Olympic gold medals were Bermuda (women’s triathlon)

and Qatar (weightlifting). Burkina Faso, San Marino and Turkmenistan were also recognized for clinching their first ever medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Greek Culture and Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis and representatives from the IOC, NOCs, international federations and other Olympic stakeholders attended the awards.

The ANOC also conducted its general assembly where officials from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing made a presentation.

PH athletes to train via bubble setup for Vietnam SEA Games

By Peter Atencio WITH the Vietnam Southeast East Asian Games scheduled to take place in mid-May next year, national athletes are expected to start training next month in government-owned sports facilities in Metro Manila and Baguio City.

Areas inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig City are now being readied for reopening under a bubble setup.

National Training Director Marc Velasco said in a recent radio interview that the Philippine Sports Commission is now discussing this plan.

“The management committee of the PSC has recommended this to the PSC board, to have bubble training centers and prepare for these in

Marc Velasco

November,” said Velasco.

For now, the venues that will be used are limited.

This is because some parts of the PSC-controlled facilities are still being used as COVID-19 quarantine facilities.

Velasco said they are in coordination with the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases on their plans.

The Vietnam (Hanoi) SEA Games was originally scheduled from November 21 to December 2 this year.

But Vietnam’s government sought for a postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once numerous national athletes go into fullblast training, they will have seven months to get in shape and be ready for competition.

PH Golf Tour sets 2-leg ladies’ golf restart THE ladies of the Philippine Golf Tour steel themselves up for another restart of the circuit forced to go on a second respite due to the spike of coronavirus late July with a two-tournament swing at Eagle Ridge and Tagaytay Highlands next month.

Princess Superal swept the two-leg resumption of the Ladies PGT at Sherwood Hills and at Eagle Ridge’s Norman course three months ago before the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. suspended play again due to the spike of Covid-19 infections in NCR Plus, which includes Cavite and Batangas, regular hosts of the various legs of the LPGT. The national government, with its mass vaccination program in full throttle, has recently downgraded the alert level system in 14 provinces and five cities, paving the way for the resumption of the ladies pro circuit, among other sporting events.

The PGTI has reiterated its commitment to enforce strict guidelines and protocols to ensure the health and safety of all those involved.

“We’re very happy and grateful for

the tour resumption,” said Superal, who held off Chanelle Avaricio by one at Sherwood then beat her again by three at Eagle Ridge last July.

“We have all been safe inside the ‘bubble.’” “We follow the health protocols so the tournaments staged during the pandemic have all been successful,” added Superal, referring to the two tournaments at Riviera that marked the first restart late last year.

The PGTI then kicked off its 2021 season last March, also at Eagle Ridge with Harmie Constantino shining in her pro debut, coming away with a two-stroke victory over Superal at Aoki.

But play was suspended again due to another surge in coronavirus cases in NCR Plus from the end of March to April and May before Superal re-stamped her class at Sherwood and Eagle Ridge.

The Eagle Ridge Ladies Classic on Nov. 2-5 at the Aoki layout will thus mark LPGT’s third restart while Tagaytay Highlands will host the next stop on Nov. 8-11.

The PGTI is likewise finalizing details

to stage two more tournaments back at Riviera, also next month, that would keep the compact ladies field busy before the holiday season.

Despite the long break and lack of competitive play, the touring ladies stayed in shape through regular practice and range forays with Superal out to further toughen up in time for a qualifying stint in the LPGA of Japan Tour, also set next month.

The 2019 LPGT Order of Merit winner is trying to track down the route taken by Yuka Saso, who launched her pro career in Japan after falling short of her LPGA bid, immediately making an impact with two victories that earned her invites to play in the US, leading to her historic conquest of the US Women’s Open crown last June.

Princess Superal

Newly crowned vault champion Yulo to grace PSA Forum FRESH from winning the vault gold in the 50th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Caloy Yulo talks about his campaign in the meet in a special guest appearance in the online edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

Yulo will be joined in the public sports program by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion and Yulo’s Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.

The 21-year-old Yulo won the gold in the men’s vault, while adding a silver medal in the parallel bars. He failed to defend his title in the f loor exercise though, after finishing fifth in the event held in Kitakyushu, Japan over the weekend.

Meanwhile, joining the gymnastics group in the second part of the session are Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim and national team stalwart Jamie Lim as they discuss about the coming World Championships in Dubai.

Incidentally, Lim also serves as the country’s Chef De Mission to the 2023 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

The weekly session starts at 10:00 a.m. and presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, Daily Tribune, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The Forum is being livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page f b.com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

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Sports

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Jordan’s Nike sneakers sell for record $1.5 million

Brooks: Adiwang better than Pacio IS Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks playing chess while everyone is playing checkers?

It may seem like it especially with how the American rained praises on Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, his opponent at ONE: NEXTGEN III on November 26 in Singapore.

“Starting with Lito is a great way to start in ONE,” he said, looking ahead to his promotional debut which already gets prime billing as the main event of that card.

“I think Lito is the best strawweight in the division besides myself, so starting out on the hard note is a great way to start.”

Brooks’ remarks may not seem much on surface level, but not if one understands the context especially with how the Fight Matrix Strawweight Champion has taken potshots against Adiwang’s Team Lakay stablemate and current ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.

He even went as far as to say that Adiwang, the no. 5-ranked strawweight contender in the official rankings at ONE Championship, is actually better than Pacio, the champ who held the belt for the better part of the past two years.

“It’s a game of inches and Lito and Josh are great on the feet, but I think Lito is a little bit better on the feet than Josh is. And as far as the Jiu-Jitsu and the wrestling aspect, it seems that Lito is catching up fairly quickly compared to Josh,” he observed.

“So yeah, I think Lito is a little bit better than Josh.”

That’s why Brooks is taking exception to Adiwang’s earlier statements where the ONE Super Series winner was open to the possibility of him being Pacio’s gatekeeper of sorts.

“Lito has been [treating himself] as gatekeeper, but he shouldn’t be. I feel bad for him that he has to deal with that. Going to the top five and facing people ranked lower, that does suck cause he’s better than the top five. Maybe he should talk to his management about that, but it does suck for Lito going against these really tough guys coming in,” he said.

Whether it’s just psychological warfare coming from The Monkey God or him simply just driving a wedge between the Baguiobased fighters remains to be seen.

The only thing clear is that the brash American is coming in confident, and as far as he’s concerned, he’s driven to prove that he’s not just better than Adiwang or Pacio.

Now that he’s here, he regards himself as the new sheriff in the strawweight division and has no question that he is the best in the world. “[Lito] is definitely powerstricken, has a lot of great qualities, but I am there to show the people that I am the best in the world,” he said. “If he thinks he is the best in the world, too, then I will push myself to show people that he is not.”

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets attempts a shot as Gordon Hayward of the Charlotte Hornets defends during the first half of a game at Barclays Center in New York City. The Hornets won, 111-95. AFP

‘Mature’ Hornets crush rd Nets for 3 straight win L

OS ANGELES— Miles Bridges scored a teamhigh 32 points as the Charlotte Hornets won their third straight to spoil the Brooklyn Nets’ home debut with a 111-95 win on Sunday.

Charlotte, who trailed by eight points at halftime, shook off a slow start by outscoring the Nets 61-37 in the second half.

The Hornets are 3-0 and off to their best-ever start to a season.

“That just shows where our growth is,” said forward Bridges, who finished one point short of his career-high points total. “As long as we’re all being mature, we’re going to keep winning.”

There was a kerfuffle outside the stadium before the game when a small group of anti-vaccine demonstrators, protesting that Kyrie Irving will not play for the Nets until he gets vaccinated, gathered outside Barclays Center carrying signs and waving flags.

Some of the demonstrators pushed past some barriers and got near the entrance of the arena before being confronted by security. There were no arrests and no one was injured.

“Barclays Center briefly closed its doors today in order to clear protestors from the main doors on the plaza and

ensure guests could safely enter the arena,” a Barclays Center spokesperson said in a statement.

“Only ticketed guests were able to enter the building and the game proceeded according to schedule.”

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 38 points for the Nets, who dropped to 7-3 in home openers since moving from New Jersey in 2012.

Durant came out firing, making his first five shots of the game. He shot 17 of 24 overall from the floor but it wasn’t enough to lead his team to the win.

The Hornets also beat the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers by using strong second-half performances.

Bridges shot nine of 16 from the floor and had 12 rebounds.

LaMelo Ball scored 18 points while Ish Smith scored 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who shot 53 percent from the field in the second half. Cody Martin chipped in 12.

James Harden added 15 points for the Nets, who missed 26 of 35 three-point

attempts. Harden made just two of eight from beyond the arc.

No problem Durant said the Nets will be fine without Irving.

“It’s three games in. Of course, we’ve got enough,” Durant said. “We definitely want Kyrie Irving out here on the floor and he’s a huge part of what we do, but it’s not happening right now.

“So we’ve got to figure it out. You’ve got to play.”

Elsewhere, reserve Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers avoided starting 0-3 for the second time in four years with a 121-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Anthony Davis finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, LeBron James had 19 points and Russell Westbrook delivered 13 points and 13 assists for the Lakers.

Ja Morant scored a game-high 40 points and added 10 assists, Desmond Bane scored 17 points and Steven Adams contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have two wins and one loss in the new season.

In Houston, Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and Grant Williams came off the bench to score 18 as the Boston Celtics earned their first victory by defeating the Houston Rockets 107-97. AFP

NEW YORK—A pair of sneakers worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan early in his career sold for nearly $1.5 million on Sunday, setting a record price at auction for game-worn footwear, Sotheby’s said.

The white leather shoes with the red Nike swoosh and soles were worn by the iconic player in the fifth game of his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, when Nike’s Jordan-affiliated brand was only just taking off as a sensation both on and off the court.

“The most valuable sneakers ever offered at auction—Michael Jordan’s regular season game-worn Nike Air Ships from 1984—have just sold at $1,472,000 in our luxury sale in Las Vegas,” the auction house said in a statement on Twitter.

The astronomical price easily beat the record held by a pair of Nike Air Jordans which sold for $615,000 in August 2020 at a Christie’s auction.

A pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by rapper Kanye West sold for $1.8 million in April, triple the previous record for sneakers—although that was a private sale.

Jordan’s autographed size-13 laceups were in good overall condition, with signs of court wear and tear, Sotheby’s said. The pair was a gift from the player to Tommie Tim III Lewis, who was a ball boy for the Denver Nuggets during the 1984-’85 season.

The market for rare sports shoes is soaring. The record price for sneakers has been broken several times recently as what was seen as a niche market a decade ago now attracts interest from the general public as well as leading collectors.

And the market value of objects identified with the retired basketball superstar have skyrocketed since the release of “The Last Dance,” an ESPN/Netflix documentary that chronicles the saga of Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.

The sneakers that went under the hammer Sunday predate the first Air Jordans, the now-classic line that quickly morphed from popular basketball gear to sought-after streetwear worldwide.

A bankable star The Air Ship shoe that served as the genesis for the Air Jordan series was designed by Bruce Kilgore and originally released in 1984, and it was the first sneaker worn by Jordan as an NBA professional.

That year Jordan, already a bankable star given his college basketball heroics, completed a deal with Nike in which the company gave him his own signature line of shoes and clothing. AFP

Chooks-To-Go to handle MPBL operations CHOOKS-TO-GO has been tasked by Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League founder Sen. Manny Pacquiao to handle the league’s basketball operations moving forward.

Sen. Pacquiao and Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas formally forged their new partnership, Sunday evening.

“I am elated to have this new partnership given that Chooks-to-Go is a very organized organization especially in basketball,” said Sen. Pacquiao.

“I saw the world-class event of their oneday invitational league in San Fernando and I was impressed,” he continued regarding the recently-concluded Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 Invitational tournament the league held last Wednesday in San Fernando, Pampanga. Ronald Mascarinas Manny Pacquiao “They are the only group in partnership with league’s title sponsor.

FIBA 3x3 in the country. With that, they basiNow, Chooks-to-Go will also handle the league’s cally know what they are doing.

“I am thankful to Kuya Ronald and I can only entrust basketball operations.

“Being a presidential candidate is no easy task and we the MPBL to Chooks-to-Go.” Back in December 2019, Chooks-to-Go and the understand the busy schedule of the senator,” said MasMPBL signed a five-year deal that saw the country’s cariñas. “That is why we accepted the gargantuan relargest roasted chicken retail business become the sponsibility to take over the full basketball operations of

the MPBL. We will work hand in hand with Commissioner Kenneth [Duremdes] in this endeavor.”

The MPBL is currently in the early stages of holding an invitational tournament for its member teams to close out the year.

Chooks-to-Go is also planning to integrate its 3x3 basketball program with the MPBL. Back in 2017, Pacquiao founded the MPBL, seeing the country’s need to have a regional men’s semi-professional basketball league.

The league has held three tournaments, the Rajah, Datu, and Lakan tournaments.

In 2019, Chooks-to-Go also founded its own professional 3x3 basketball league, Chooks-toGo Pilipinas 3x3. Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 is a league that is endorsed by FIBA 3x3 and regulated by the Games and Amusements Board.

This new development will not change the commitment of Chooks-to-Go in supporting regional professional leagues Pilipinas Vismin Super Cup and National Basketball League-Pilipinas as the company believes that these leagues are a step to level the playing field for players in the countryside to have the same opportunities in basketball as a source of livelihood.

Tennis qualifier for Chengdu Universiade rescheduled due to age requirement THE 5th National Students Tennis Championship -Graham C. Lim Classic Qualifying Tournament has been moved from November 24 to 28, 2021 this year.

This development was disclosed by the FESSAP Tennis Club Director Antonio A. Quiza.

The early qualifier is in preparation for the 31st Summer Universiade (World University Games) to be held in Chengdu, China from June 26 to July 7 next year.

The 31st Summer Universiade had been scheduled for this year but a resurgence in COVID-19 cases around the world forced its postponement to 2022.

As such, the age of previously selected university tennis student-athletes in the sport was put into question and the eligibility of student-athletes had to be redefined to conform to the new age categories, according to Coach Quiza, whose FESSAP

Tennis Club includes Executive Committee members Melchor Divina from Mapua University, Mysti Laureta, Josephine Lim from Chiang Kai Shek College, Raul Ballado and Graham C. Lim as Ex-Officio.

The delay in the University Games and subsequent local qualifying tournament have altered the preparations that the FESSAP had made in recent months, with mounting expenses that all went for naught.

The time and effort spent have taken its toll on the FESSAP as well as other sports associations or collegiate leagues, such as training of athletes, funding, safety, and most important of all, the medical issues regarding the COVID-19 pandemic such as vaccination, quarantine, travel/health insurances, and requirements to protect the student-athletes when they compete abroad.

Coach Quiza noted that the Universiade

Qualifying Tournament, better known as the 5th National Students Tennis Championship, had earlier been slated this month from October 27 to 31.

The guests invited to grace the opening would have included FESSAP President Edwin Fabro and FESSAP Chairman of the Board Alvin Tai Lian, and Universiade Preparation & Monitoring Committee Chairman Prof. Robert Milton Calo, who is also the FESSAP Executive Vice President.

The designated venue would be the Philippine Columbian Association tennis court in Plaza Dilao, Paco District, Quirino Avenue.

For more information on the FESSAP Tennis Club, contact Quiza Sr. and/or Cecille Sarmiento.

For registration, Coach Quiza can be reached at his mobile phone number 0931 029 4623. Graham C. Lim

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

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GMA Network reaches 82 million viewers nationwide

Based again on Reuters Institute’s DNR 2021, GMA News Online – together with GMA Network – registered a weekly usage of 53 percent, ten points higher than ABS-CBN News Online’s 43 percent.

WHEN it comes to bringing superior news and entertainment to Filipinos here and abroad, the country’s largest broadcast station GMA Network remains steadfast in being “Buong Puso Para sa Pilipino” while asserting its dominance across all platforms.

On TV, GMA reached 97 percent of total TV households in the country with an estimated 82 million viewers nationwide based on January to September 2021 data from Nielsen Phils.

GMA-7’s reach is further complemented by second free-to-air channel GTV, along with the Kapuso digital channels Heart of Asia, Hallypop, and I Heart Movies which can be accessed using digital TV receivers GMA Affordabox or GMA Now for mobile smartphones.

Per major area, GMA’s TV households net reach in Total Luzon is 96.1 percent with about 54 million viewers; Total Visayas at 98.2 percent with 16 million viewers; and Total Mindanao at 96.9 percent with 12 million Filipinos.

In Rural Philippines, GMA reaches 97 percent of the TV households with 36.4 million people while 96.3 percent with 45.4 million people are

MULTIMEDIA star Alden Richards felt elated and proud when he renewed his contract with GMA Network.

Speaking to Manila Standard Entertainment, he described his decadelong career with the Kapuso as limitless.

“First of all, they trusted me. They gambled on me during my struggling years in the ‘biz. They weren’t sure then of what I could bring to the table but still, they took the risk. In return, being a neophyte during that time, who am I to take that golden opportunity for granted?” he shared.

“For that trust, the best thing for me to do is work hard wholeheartedly and passionately. Trust is something that is hard to obtain in a relationship since it is its basis. So, for you to be trusted by the biggest network in the land, it was the only thing that I could give in return,” the 29-year-old screen star added.

Richards explained that his career with his mother network is limitless because “in those years that I’m with them, they gave me the opportunity to fly and explore further by doing projects outside the wall of the station. They didn’t restrict me. Instead, they allowed me to do projects outside which proved to be beneficial for my career growth.”

Multimedia star Alden Richards continues to scale new heights as he renews his contract with GMA Network.

Timothee Chalamet-starrer sci-fi flick tops the tills NEW sci-fi thriller Dune, a classic that almost demanded big-screen treatment, topped the North American box office this weekend with a take estimated at $40.1 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

Yet that solid three-day showing for Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert opus came even as studio Warner Bros. released the film simultaneously for small-screen streaming via HBO Max, an increasingly common pandemic-era practice.

With an all-star cast led by Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya, the film tells the tale of a family in the distant future fighting for survival on a treacherous desert planet.

Dune, with a plainly relevant environmental subtext, has taken in $180 million overseas, and Villeneuve, whose growing sci-fi catalogue includes Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, hopes to make this the first in a two-part saga.

In distant second was last weekend’s leader, Universal’s horror flick Halloween Kills, at $14.5 million. A follow-on to 2018’s Halloween, it again stars Jamie Lee Curtis, and the studio has said she will be back for another sequel next year.

Third place went to United Artists’ latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, at $11.9 million. In fourth was Sony superhero film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, at $9.1 million. And fifth went to a new 20th Century release, computer-animated sci- American actor Timothee Chalamet in a scene from the fi comedy Ron’s Gone Wrong, at $7.3 million. AFP movie ‘Dune’

million viewers).

In the said data, GMA has the most number of newscasts and special news coverages which consist of 24 Oras and 24 Oras Weekend including 24 Oras Breaking News and 24 Oras News Alert, Unang Hirit, Saksi, and SONA 2021: The GMA News Special.

News programs on GTV also include simulcasts of 24 Oras, 24 Oras Weekend, and Saksi; Balitanghali, Breaking News, Dobol B sa News TV which was later on named Dobol B TV, News Live, News TV Live, State of the Nation, State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, and News TV Quick Response Team.

GMA Regional TV (RTV), meanThe Nation’s Top News Source while, takes pride in staying true to Covering January to September its “Local News Matters” campaign.

2021 data from Nielsen Phils. TAM With stations strategically located in survey, combined GMA and GTV Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the news-related programs in Total Phils. regional arm of GMA Network conreached 95.8 percent of TV house- sistently enables viewers to access holds (with 80 million viewers na- local news in various communities tionwide). This was way ahead of the outside Metro Manila. combined reach of news-related proBringing ample news coverage to grams among its current competitors the regions are GMA RTV Balitang – TV5, CNN Philippines, and A2Z, Amianan and Mornings with GMA which registered a total net reach of Regional TV via the North Central 69.3 percent (with an estimated 49 Luzon hubs’ RTV Dagupan Sta-

tion and RTV Ilocos Station; GMA RTV Balitang Bicolandia via the South Luzon hub’s RTV Bicol Station; GMA RTV Balitang Bisdak and GMA Regional TV Live! via the Central and Eastern Visayas hub’s RTV Cebu Station; GMA RTV One Western Visayas and GMA Regional TV Early Edition via the Western Visayas hubs’ RTV Iloilo Station and RTV Bacolod Station; and GMA RTV One Mindanao and At Home with GMA Regional TV via the Mindanao hubs’ RTV Davao Station, RTV Cagayan de Oro Station, RTV General Santos Station, and RTV Zamboanga Station.

At the same time, GMA RTV’s flagship national newscast, Regional TV News, continues to make the top stories from the regions available to more viewers nationwide Mondays to Saturdays, on GTV. In addition to having the widest on-air news coverage across the country, GMA Network likewise got the highest brand trust score with 74 percent according to the Digital News Report (DNR) 2021 released by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Read full story on manilastandard.net

Not your ordinary

Alden Richards makes best career decision The bankable actor realized that sticking it out with GMA was an excellent decision. He could say that I will remain a Kapuso until the end of his career.

Loyalty is important to Asia’s Multi-Media Star. For him, loyalty begins and ends with gratefulness.

“In this life, there are so many choices that we make and no matter what we choose, we just always need to be grateful to people who have been there to help us, guide us, and have been part of our journey. With that kind of attitude, there will be no room for mistake,” Richards stated.

Many notice that all these years, Richards has remained humble despite all his achievements in the entertainment scene.

“My handler and I were talking one time and we reminisced those days when I was just starting. I believe that you should not change as time passes by. People knew you that way and it’s one of the things why they look up to you. That’s why the more that you should exhibit humility. I think that’s one secret formula to continuous success,” he ended.

reached in Urban Philippines.

Additional data from MCTAM (Metro Cities TV Audience Measurement) also cited that GMA reaches nearly every TV household in Metro Dagupan at 99.5 percent net reach (with 351k viewers), Metro Cebu at 97.9 percent (with 2.3 million viewers), and Metro Davao at 99.4 percent (with 2.1 million viewers). These key regional cities are being reached by GMA’s Regional TV channels which also have their respective local newscasts.

Abroad, viewers can catch GMA via its international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV as well as GMA On Demand.

‘House Tour’

The cast of Roman Perez, Jr.’s sexy heist thriller ‘House Tour’ (from left) Diego Loyzaga, Cindy Miranda, Marco Gomez, Mark Anthony Fernandez, and Sunshine Guimary (left photo).

A

CELEBRITY house tour is one of the most entertaining vlog contents that attracts massive views online. Thus, director Roman Perez, Jr. thought of giving this favorite online content a different, sexy, and dangerous twist.

Perez, the director of much-talkedabout erotic thrillers like Adan (2018), The Housemaid (2021), and Taya (2021), is back to offer his heist thriller version of House Tour.

The movie, which streams exclusively on Vivamax, features a goodlooking bunch of actors, namely Diego Loyzaga, Sunshine Guimary, Mark

Anthony Fernandez, Marco Gomez, Rafa Siguion-Reyna, and Cindy Miranda.

The movie centers on Gabby (Guimary), an award-winning actress, and her husband Franco (Siguion-Reyna), a former Olympian. The couple lives in a Santorini-inspired, resort-like home that has a million-dollar view of Taal volcano. As famous vloggers, they indulge their viewers with a very detailed house tour vlog posted on their digital channel called the C Zone.

Franco proudly shares that a lot of the pieces in their house actually came from other countries.

Unfortunately, Gabby and Franco’s lavish lifestyle and all the ins and outs of their posh house are duly noted by a group of robbers led by Markus (Fernandez). And with a single social media post from Gabby indicating that she’s away for an entire week to do a shoot, Markus and his brother Raims (Loyzaga), along with Raims’

girlfriend, Ely (Miranda), and Buddy (Gomez), invade the couple’s residence.

The robbers make themselves at home, but Franco returns. Their encounter is inevitable, and as the two parties try to get rid of each other, secrets about the masters of the house and the invaders unfold. Everyone feels at home. But who will kill and be killed at home?

“This film is one of the challenging movies I have made. If you were able to watch the trailer, I can say na may laban naman ito sa mga previous films na nagawa ko,” the director said.

“If I brought you the world of gambling syndicate in my previous film, House Tour promises a different experience since this is a sexy heist movie with a lot of twists,” he ended.

House Tour streams on Vivamax available at web.vivamax.net. The app can be downloaded via Google Play Store, App Store, and Huawei AppGallery.

Viral sensation Madam Inutz receives early Christmas gift from manager There’s no stopping Daisy Lopez, otherwise known as Madam Inutz, as she soars high in her showbiz career.

With solid support and guidance from her manager, former Gay World titlist, Wilbert Tolentino, slowly realizes her dreams.

Madam Inutz took her colorful and vibrant personality inside the Pinoy Big Brother House as of the housemates of the popular reality show’s 10th season. She was one of the first three official housemates announced to enter the famed PBB House.

Before becoming officially part of PBB, Madam Inutz released her debut single, the novelty song “Inutil,” and also recorded her sophomore, “Sangkap ng Pasko,” to be relased just in time for the holiday season.

“Promise, iiyak kayo sa song na ito.

Sobrang mata-touch ang mga Pinoy,” said Tolentino who is also a social me-

dia personality himself.

You can now watch the official music video of “Sangkap ng Pasko” on the Official YouTube Channel of Daisy Lopez. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NhkcDLQZQ0c Last Oct. 5, before she had hotel quarantine for PBB, Madam Inutz received an early Christmas gift and surprise from Tolentino – an 88 square meter house and lot in Bulacan. Watch the trending vlog here: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=RkoNbgTgQes Tolentino plans to do some additional renovations in the house while Madam Inutz is inside PBB. “I plan to build the house with three floors to accommodate her whole family. Also I want to build a sari-sari store so that they can have a stable business. The area is residential and the location is very accessible to the residents since it is near the

Popular online seller Daisy Lopez, a.k.a.

Madam Inutz, with her manager Wilbert Tolentino

main entrance of their subdivision,” Tolentino said.

For inquiries and product endorsement - Call or Text 09175INUTIL / 09175468845 or email dlinutil@gmail. com.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Fitbit Luxe: Pretty little, feature-packed tracker

By Bernadette Lunas

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SMALL BUT TERRIFIC. Fitbit’s ‘fashion-forward fitness tracker’, Luxe packs and tracks all the essentials in one dainty stainless steel body.

itbit has finally achieved that “big things come in small packages” adage with its Luxe line. It is small (both its asset and liability, we will get to that later) but packed with features you would want from a fitness tracker.

It doesn’t hurt that it comes in a chic, almost jewelry-like – with the right band – design.

When the wearables company launched Fitbit Luxe in April, the message was clear, it is “a fashion-forward fitness and wellness wristband that tracks the essentials”. It is its latest attempt at fitness tracker that could pass as a chic accessory; something that you could wear with, say, a dress without looking like you came straight from the gym.

First look: Design

You see, fitness trackers – and smartwatches for that matter – have long been sporting that same square or rectangle body with a silicone strap. I’ve worn and used four Fitbit before this one (Alta HR, Versa, Charge 3, and Charge 4), and they all looked like the usual wearable. For this new tracker, Fitbit has made sure it earns its name with a slim design and polished stainless steel case with curved edges, or, as Fitbit co-founder James Park put it, “soft, gentle shape inspired by the human body that sits lightly on your wrist”.

To achieve the jewelry look and feel, the company used metal injection molding to create the case. The stainless steel body comes in three colors: soft gold, graphite, platinum.

Paired with the silicone strap they come in (lunar white for soft gold, black for graphite, orchid for platinum), the trackers look pretty much an elevated Inspire 2, but swap it for a stainless steel mesh or the gorjana Parker Link Bracelet and you get that jewelry look and feel.

I might add, the lunar white and soft gold combination has an understated elegance to it.

Fitbit Luxe features a small body (a little over an inch length, half an inch wide, and 0.4 inch thin) and an even smaller screen (a color AMOLED display with a 124x206 resolution) with a wide bezel on top and bottom. Making up for the small screen is the clear and crisp colored display that makes it easier to check time, read notifications, and view step count and heart rate even under bright light.

The small size is ideal for small wrists and for those who like their trackers light and unobtrusive (the chances of hitting your watch up against a wall or other surfaces are reduced) for everyday wear or when working out. But looking at stats when exercising (time elapsed, calories burned, heart rate, and pace or miles covered) can be a bit challenging especially when you’re moving, considering the small screen size.

A closer look: Navigation and features

When worn to bed, the sleep tracker uses your heart rate to detect your Sleep Stages (awake, REM, light, deep) and estimated oxygen variation.

Despite the small screen – a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences – Fitbit did not compromise on intuitiveness. Since Luxe has no physical buttons, control and navigation are all done through the touchscreen, which wakes up when you lift your wrist (while wearing it) or when you tap it.

Swipe up from the clock face to view the date, battery percentage, and daily stats (steps, distance, Active Zone Minutes, calories burned, hourly activities, heart rate, Sleep Score, and menstrual health). Swiping down from the clock face shows modes (sleep mode, do not disturb mode, and water lock, which you can turn on and off with a tap), settings (brightness, screen wake and time out, and vibration), device

information, and restart.

Swipe left or right to access notifications, Exercise, Relax guided breathing (default duration is 2 minutes or custom 1-10 minutes), alarms, and timers. Tap to select or swipe up to see options. Firmly double-tap on the screen at any time, in any app to return home. Swipe right to move back.

To use Fitbit Luxe when exercising, tap on the applicable ac activity on the Exercise panel. Default modes are walk, run, bike, swim (yes, it is swim-proof), treadmill, and workout.

To choose six from other exercise modes available (a total of 20), go to the Fitbit app on your phone, which is also where you can choose and change the device’s clock face and access more data.

Even without starting a program, the device automatiautomati cally detects and records your activity if you’ve been, for instance, running for at least 15 minutes. One big thing missing from it, though – understandable consid considering its small body – is onboard GPS. Hence, it needs to connect to your phone to track your location.

It also detects if you’ve been idle for a while and sends reminders to move (useful for many of us working long hours in front of the computer). Those bothered by constant vibrations on their wrists during the day, may opt to turn the DND (do not disturb) mode on.

But my favorite feature of Fitbit Luxe, and other Fitbit models where it’s available, is sleep tracking. When you wear the device to sleep, it will use your heart rate to detect your Sleep Stages (awake, REM, light, deep) and estimated oxygen variation, the latter can help determine if you have breathing issues. When I checked the time it recorded I was asleep, it was accurate according to my estimate; same for the time I was awake.

Speaking of awake, its alarm also has a Smart Wake feature that, when enabled, finds the best to time to wake you starting 30 minutes before the alarm time.

Go to the Fitbit app to access more features and data, including your Stress Management Score and the Health Metrics dashboard (breathing rate, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, skin temperature, and oxygen saturation). With a Premium subscription (P485/month or P3,900/ year), you get advanced insights, mindfulness tools, guided programs (nutrition, sleep, workout), and video workouts from Fitbit, barre3, Popsugar, DailyBurn, and more.

Wrap-up: Battery life, is it worth the buy?

For something so dainty, Fitbit Luxe does pack quite a lot. Enabling access to the device is an impressive battery life that, Fitbit says, lasts up to five days but I was actually able to extend to seven on a week I didn’t use it to work out and was on Sleep Mode when I wore it to bed.

With its look and size, it would be attractive to people who like small fitness trackers with a softer, more stylish look than its big, bulky counterparts. It is comfortable to wear, it does track the essentials, and it offers all the basic features – plus a few more – a regular person would need from a fitness tracker, all for an SRP of P8,490.

It is available at fitbit.com and on Fitbit’s Shopee and Lazada stores.

Watsons sells COVID-19 antigen test kits

Membership program offers access to lifestyle, wellness perks Members of Sekaya Collective get access to the brand’s resources, lifestyle perks from partner establishments, and webinar and pre-launch invitations.

FILIPINO plant-based brand Sekaya introduces a membership program specially created for health and fitness enthusiasts and professionals.

Members of the Sekaya Collective get access to educational resources and lifestyle perks.

As part of the community, members are entitled to an evergreen 10

Some of the clock faces currently available for Fitbit Luxe. Go to the Fitbit mobile app to choose and change the device’s clock face.

percent discount on all Sekaya products through exclusive vouchers. Each member also receives a Sekaya Collective digital ID to enjoy discounted consultation fees or services in partner wellness clinics; services at Kazie Lounge and Culture Salon, French Tips, Vivere Salon; and class passes at Madsquad Fitness and Wellness.

Exclusive event invitations to Sekaya webinars on fitness and nutrition, as well as pre-launch access to new products are extended to members.

Send a message to sekayacollective@synnovate.com.ph, or @SekayaPH on Facebook and Instagram, or 0917-847-8684 for more information about the membership program.

BEAUTY and wellness retailer Watsons is now offering FDA-certfied COVID-19 antigen test kits in all its stores nationwide.

According to Watsons, the testing kits on offer can deliver at least 95 percent sensitivity and 99.2 percent specificity. The required specifications set by the Health Technology Assessment Council are 80 percent sensitivity and 97 percent specificity.

The antigen test kits use saliva as the indicator for the presence of the virus; results are available in 30 minutes or less.

To purchase the testing kits, customers are required to present a medical prescription, and testing must be administered by doctors, nurses, or medical technologists.

“As more people head out to work, school, and gatherings, Watsons knows that antigen test kits are important in helping reduce transmission,” said Maita A. Santiago, Watsons Philippines customer director.

With its latest offering, the chain aims to widen people’s access to affordable and effective testing options. The test kits available at Watsons range from P399 to P500.

“Watsons is taking a proactive role as the Philippines continues to fight this pandemic. Tools such as antigen testing kits help provide important information and serve as a guide so the public will know what steps to take,” added Santiago.

Watsons started selling on Monday FDAcertified COVID-19 antigen test kits. (File photo)